AIDAN POLLARD
News Editor
As SUNY Fredonia prepares the confidential search for a new university president, they’ve hired the presidential search firm Storbeck/Pimentel.
In November, the firm successfully aided in searches at the University of Wisconsin-Stout, Penn State Brandywine and the University of the Pacific.
A piece of the firm’s involvement will be the hosting of open forums for faculty, students and the greater campus community. The first of these forums will be held Thursday, Dec. 5 at 2 p.m. and Friday, Dec. 6 at 10 a.m. Both forums will be held in the Williams Center’s 204 A, B and C rooms and are scheduled to last 45 minutes apiece.
The forums will be conducted by the search firm’s lead consultants, Steve Leo and Tom Fitch.
“… the forums are somewhat structured while still allowing for free-flowing comments from attendees,” said Fitch in an email.
He went on to list categories the firm typically asks for comments on during searches, including why someone would be attracted to Fredonia and want to be its new president, what challenges the campus community sees in the position and which attributes and qualities the campus community would like to see in a candidate.
“There will be a position profile that will be created and approved by the search committee that will include the desired attributes of the candidates,” said Fitch. “We would expect that to be released before the holiday break, or if not then, early in January.”
In addition to Storbeck/Pimentel being hired to conduct the search, Seth Meyer, whose term as Student Association President ends after this semester, confirmed in an email to The Leader that he’s stepped down as student representative for the university’s internal search committee following his choice not to run for president again in the recent SA elections.