With the ongoing economic crisis, Dartmouth's presidential search committee will review candidates' fiscal experience and history of economic stewardship in selecting College President James Wright's successor, according to Al Mulley '70, chair of the presidential search committee. The committee is currently compiling a list of candidates and will soon begin formal interviews, Mulley said.
Most of the candidates under consideration have "some background" in higher education, Mulley said, and many have "direct leadership experience."
"We are considering some presidents of other colleges and universities, some provosts and some deans," he said.
The economic downturn, which Mulley said is affecting the majority of institutions of higher learning, will be a factor in Dartmouth's presidential search, as presidents and provosts nationwide are coping with budget cuts.
Mulley contended, however, that Dartmouth is better off financially than many other institutions.
"The people we're talking to about the prospect [of becoming the next president] recognize that Dartmouth is strong financially," he said. "We want someone to maintain [Dartmouth's] relative strength."
The search committee's leadership statement, approved by the Board of Trustees in September, lists the "ability to build strong management teams and execute large and ambitious plans with fiscal responsibility" as a necessary qualification for Dartmouth's next president.
"The downturn in the economy presents challenges for Dartmouth and most other institutions of higher education," Mulley said. "Dartmouth faces these conditions from a position of relative strength, but the candidates we are talking to really reflect the uncertainty in the economy."
The recession has reduced the salaries of many college and university presidents, although it is unclear if this will affect Wright's current salary or his successor's compensation. Wright is the lowest paid president in the Ivy League, earning $569,761 for the 2006-2007 fiscal year, according to The Chronicle of Higher Education.
The College's Office of Finance and Administration hopes to provide Wright's successor with a financial plan that incorporates College budget cuts, Adam Keller, executive vice president for finance and administration, said in a previous interview. The appointee will still need to make crucial budget decisions during his tenure, Keller added.
Dartmouth's presidential search coincides with those of Northwestern University and Johns Hopkins University, but the concurrent searches have not greatly affected the approach of Dartmouth's search committee, Mulley said, adding that the three institutions have different timetables for selection. For example, Johns Hopkins President William Brody retired at the end of 2008, whereas Wright will step down in June 2009.
Northwestern named Williams College President Morton Schapiro, an expert on the economics of higher education, as its next president on Dec. 16. Schapiro, who will take over Sept. 1, was considered in Dartmouth's 1999 presidential search.
"It is very rare to be conducting the search at the same time with other institutions and looking for similar candidates, so you are always aware that other searches are going on," Mulley said.
The search committee hopes to announce Wright's successor in the spring, Mulley said, explaining that the timing of the announcement will allow Wright's successor enough time to give adequate notice to any outside institutions where he or she may be currently employed. The committee has planned a spring announcement since the beginning of the search process, and candidates are aware of this timeline, Mulley said.
"We have made several commitments to the community to have a proactive search with the goal of finding the strongest possible leader," Mulley said. "We have been taking that approach and broadly engaging leaders in higher education, considering some 300 prospective candidates and contacting over 100 resources."
Mulley declined to disclose the names of the potential candidates or state whether they have any previous connection to the College.
