Seven months after former Fort Lewis College President Tom Stritikus announced his resignation, the institution has officially launched its search for a new leader.
Unlike previous searches, the FLC board of trustees has opted for a confidential process, in which it will keep secret the candidates’ identities – even the finalists until a final decision is made.
“We're committed to transparency, but also our responsibility is to find the best president for Fort Lewis College,” said Board Chair Mary Rubadeau in a meeting with The Durango Herald on Thursday.
After consulting with Bufkin/Baker, an executive search firm based in Tennessee, the board unanimously voted to conduct a closed search. Over the past seven months, the board has focused on forming a presidential search committee and seeking guidance from Bufkin/Baker to ensure the college finds the right candidate.
The decision for a closed search was made because of concerns that an open search might deter candidates employed at other institutions from applying out of fear that if their names are made public, including as a finalist, they could face repercussions from their existing employers.
Throughout September, the board and college’s presidential search committee conducted on-campus listening sessions to receive feedback on the ideal candidate. During these meetings, faculty, staff, students, alumni and external partners were invited to participate.
After receiving feedback, the college on Oct. 25 released a description for the type of candidate it is looking for.
“The new president is expected to embrace FLC’s unique role as a Native American-Serving Non-Tribal Institution and as a convener for the Four Corners region's arts, sciences, and economic vitality. The next president will build on FLC's strong foundation while fostering educational excellence and expanding the college’s role in regional, state, and national growth and development,” a news release from the college said.
Rubadeau said the search committee and board are consider all applicants, not just those with a Native American background.
Janet Lopez, president of the search committee, said the college is seeking a candidate with significant “lived experience” with historically marginalized communities.
“Obviously, Indigenous communities would be an important part of that, (and) would be an incredible asset to a candidate,” Lopez said.
The presidential search comes as the college emphasizes its reconciliation work with Native American tribes stemming from its historical relationship to the former Fort Lewis Indian Boarding School located west of Durango in the late 1800s and early 1900s.
A key focus of Fort Lewis College’s latest strategic plan is to emphasize community involvement. One of its primary initiatives is to build mutual partnerships with government sectors, including school districts, nonprofits and philanthropic organizations.
Despite that stated goal, the college has still decided to go with a closed search process.
The college has spent the last seven months fleshing out its 15-person search committee which includes board members, faculty and students, and establishing the type of approach it wants to take in seeking a candidate.
Typically, college presidential searches take about a year, Rubadeau said.
“Our goal is that the review and the work of the presidential search committee will be finished by January or February. Then, we will hand over the candidates to the board of trustees,” Lopez said.
The board hopes to make a decision before graduation in May while students are still on campus.
The plan is for the final candidate to visit campus for a meet-and-greet with faculty and students in the spring before the college formally hires the finalist.
Lopez said it is highly unlikely the candidate will decline the offer at that stage, after a thorough seven-month vetting process.
The college’s decision to conduct a closed search marks a departure from previous presidential search processes. In 2018, Stritikus, who received high praise from faculty and administration during his tenure, was chosen through a public search that included two other finalists: Maria Guajardo, deputy vice president of Soka University in Tokyo; and Teresa Balser, dean of teaching and learning at Curtin University’s School of Engineering in Perth, Australia.
“This will be the first president that I've worked for that I won't have met prior to them being announced,” Interim FLC President Steven Schwartz said.
Schwartz acknowledged he will feel some apprehension about having not met the candidate prior to that person being all but hired, but he said the college is heading in a positive direction and trusts the process.
After the announcement, Schwartz will assist with the transition to the new college president over a two-year period.
tbrown@durangoherald.com
