The chair of Memorial University’s Presidential Search Committee says that recent public consultations on the future of the university and the qualities of its next president were very productive.

Iris Petten, who is also chair of the university’s governing Board of Regents, says she was impressed with the level of participation and the quality of the submissions.

“More than 80 people attended the in-person consultation sessions held across the province and just over 300 people completed online submissions,” she said.

“The input was aggregated by our consultant and provided to the committee. This is proving to be very valuable advice for the Presidential Search Committee as we develop the position profile, including a candidate brief and job ad.”

Public meetings

The 12-member committee held public meetings in St. John’s, Corner Brook and Happy Valley-Goose Bay between May 23-28. An online survey collected input until May 31.

“I would like to thank these alumni, students, faculty, staff and members of the wider community for their participation in the consultation process,” said Ms. Petten.

“Your thoughtful and diverse contributions will greatly assist us in identifying the major challenges and opportunities facing Memorial, as well as the important skills and experiences we should seek in our next president.”

Next steps

Ms. Petten says the next steps in the search process will be to release the job ad later this month and task the search consultant to identify appropriate candidates for consideration by the committee.

More information on the search process and latest developments is available on the Board of Regents’ website, particularly in the Presidential Search, Appointment and Assessment Policy, which provides a framework for the search, selection and appointment of the university president.

“With this valuable input in hand, we are well launched in our search process, which we expect to complete in the next six months,” Ms. Petten added.

President Gary Kachanoski will finish his second term at the helm of Memorial University at the end of December 2019.