AMERICAN UNIVERSITY PRESIDENT SEARCH ANNOUNCED

American University’s Board of Trustees has announced that a search for a permanent president will formally begin in September 2006.  The board voted unanimously to commence the search after extensive consultation with campus groups and external experts.

The search will be coordinated by a 15-person committee consisting of members of the board and the AU community, and will be chaired by Trustees Chairman Gary Abramson.  The committee will assess AU’s unique strengths, challenges and opportunities; develop a leadership profile; assemble a list of candidates from campus, national, and international recommendations; assess candidate qualities and qualifications; create a short list of top candidates for a campus visit and review by constituent groups; and recommend one or more finalists to the board for final review and selection. 

The search committee will include eight trustees; three faculty members; two students; a dean, and a staff member.  The recognized faculty and student governance groups will recommend their prospective members to the board for potential committee service, with recommendations subject to final board approval.  As committee chair, Mr. Abramson will identify the trustee, dean, and staff representatives, in consultation with those groups and the board, and will strive to ensure diversity in the committee composition.  The eight trustee representatives will include alumni members.

Echoing the spirit of the sweeping governance reforms adopted at the May and June board meetings, the search will reflect the values of inclusiveness, accountability, and transparency. 

“Following the outstanding work of the governance committee and the beneficial results of that process, we are ready to begin this important search for American University,” said Matthew Pittinsky, the AU trustee who coordinated an effort on behalf of the board to prepare for the search.  “On behalf of my committee and the board, I thank the faculty, deans, students, alumni, staff, and outside experts who helped us think through the interrelated issues of timing, process and committee design.”

The committee will convene in September to begin its work, including the decision on involving a search firm in this effort.  As the search gets underway, it is expected that the committee will host campus discussions and will provide updates to be posted on a dedicated board Web site.

July 10, 2006