11/05/2009

Dear Members of the University of Alaska Community,

On behalf of the Board of Regents, a sincere thank you to all who offered suggestions and improvements to the draft presidential profile, which we'll use as the basis of our advertising and recruitment efforts. The document was reviewed by members of the Board of Regents, the Presidential Search Advisory Committee, other university stakeholders and community members at large. All suggestions were considered, and the document is now in final form. Thank you to everyone who participated in this process. We welcomed your input and insights.

The formal advertisements for the position will launch Nov. 9, 2009, both inside and outside Alaska. It will appear in Alaska newspapers in both hard copy and online versions, as well as the national Chronicle of Higher Education. In addition, direct mailings will go to higher education organizations, colleges and universities across the nation.

Your own nominations of outstanding potential leaders are still encouraged. Please do so directly by contacting our presidential search consultant, Dr. Elaine H. Hairston of Academic Search. It's our hope as a board that all of our stakeholders will be active searchers, to help us identify an excellent pool of candidates.

Many have asked, "When will the next president be hired?" It's our hope to have a strong candidate pool developed by the end of January, with finalist interviews scheduled after that. Campus visits would occur, perhaps as early as February. However, it's important for all of our university stakeholders to know that the quality of the candidate pool will ultimately drive this search, not an artificial time line. That said, it's in everyone's interest that we conduct this search in an efficient and productive manner.

Thank you again for your interest and support.

Sincerely,

Cynthia Henry
Chair, Search Committee for the President of the University of Alaska
Chair, University of Alaska Board of Regents

Actions to date

---11/05/09 - Message from Cynthia Henry, Chair of the UA Board of Regents. Final Presidential Profile drafted.

---10/23/09 - Message from Cynthia Henry, Chair of the UA Board of Regents

---09/2009 Elaine H. Hairston, Ph.D., Senior Consultant with Academic Search met with UA community

---The Full Board met via audioconference on August 24, 2009 and selected AcademicSearch as the firm for the presidential search.

---07/30/2009 Message from Cynthia Henry, Chair of the UA Board of Regents

---UA Board of Regents met July 10, 2009 to discuss the president’s contract, finance matters, and personnel matters. In accordance with state law, this meeting was held in executive session.

---An RFP was issued on July 8, 2009 for executive search services. Deadline for proposals is July 30, 2009 at 5:00 p.m. Alaska time. A copy of the RFP has been posted to: www.uaf.edu/purch/solicitations.html