Welcome

FROM: Rock Jones, President
SUBJECT: Vice President for University Relations Search
DATE: May 20, 2009

I would like to take this opportunity to describe the process that we will use to search for a new Vice President for University Relations to join Ohio Wesleyan’s senior leadership team.

First, since the search will require a good deal of time this summer on the part of the search committee, I am especially grateful to those who have agreed to join me in this important endeavor: the chair of the Board of Trustees, Kathe Rhinesmith ’64 and vice-chair Mike Long ’66; Cameron Bennett, professor of Music; Mark Cooper, director of Marketing and Communication; Brenda DeWitt, director of Alumni Relations; Roger Ingles, director of Athletics; Jane Jonesco, director of Gift Planning; Bill Preble, vice president for Enrollment and Communication; David Robbins, provost; and Alice Simon, professor of Economics. I will serve as chair of the search committee and Lisa Jackson will serve as the executive secretary to the search.

We have retained Dr. Susan Resneck Pierce, senior consultant at Academic Search, to assist us with the search. Susan is known to many of you for her previous service to Ohio Wesleyan. She served as the consultant for the search that brought me to OWU and also has served the University as a consultant for special projects. Susan will be visiting the campus on May 27-28 as a prelude to drafting the ad and institutional profile. During her visit, she will meet with the search committee and members of the campus community.

Today, we will launch a search Web site: http://VPURsearch.owu.edu. This site will have two purposes: to provide ongoing information to the campus about the search and to link candidates to pertinent material about Ohio Wesleyan.

Over the coming weeks, Dr. Pierce will be asking for nominations and expressions of interest from nearly 2000 people across the country (e.g. presidents, chief financial officers, vice presidents for university relations, directors of development, directors of alumni relations, officers at foundations and higher education associations, and development consultants.) Once the ad and institutional profile have been approved, she will place ads in targeted online higher education journals. The ad and profile will be posted on the search Web page.

Susan would be pleased to receive any suggestions for possible candidates or potential nominators that you might have at this time. Please e-mail her your suggestions at OhioWesleyanVP@academic-search.com, including the e-mail address, phone number(s) and title of the people you are nominating.

Although the search will remain open until an appointment is made, all completed applications including a letter of interest, a c.v. and a list of five references (annotated with contact information and the relationship of references to the candidate) received by July 15 will be assured of full consideration.

We will of course keep you informed as the search progresses over the summer toward a successful outcome.

Rock