Minutes
Trustee Search Committee
The Fish House
November 14, 2001

Board of Trustees Chair Collier Merrill called the meeting to order at 6 p.m. Trustees attending were Honor Bell, Travis Bowden, Angie Bowler, Roy Smith, Sharon Hess Herrick, Collier Merrill, and Eddie Phillips. Also attending were Search Advisory Committee Co-chairs Linda Dye and Eric Nickelsen, UWF general counsel Julie Sheppard and Deputy Corporate Secretary Keith Goldschmidt.

R. William (Bill) Funk, professional search consultant from Korn Ferry, Inc., made a presentation to the trustees on his experience and the services he will provide. Funk was retained as the consultant for the presidential search.

He said that hiring a university president always marks the beginning of a new era for institutions, mainly because the progress made at universities is marked by presidential terms. The average tenure of presidents in the United States is between four and six years, and UWF has been blessed with the longevity of service by President Morris Marx.

As for the search process, he recommended that the advertisements be short because they are merely announcements of the search and most of the pertinent information is delivered in other ways. He also suggested creating a small brochure to highlight importance aspect of the university and search and to include articles on the search in all in-house publications. Extremely important, Funk said, was to send a letter to the friends of the university, seeking their advice and counsel in finding qualified candidates.

Most candidates do not respond to advertisements, he said. During the last decade, presidential searches have necessitated the need for a consultant who can contact individuals that would be a proper match for the university. The Sunshine Laws of Florida are problematic in that many candidates do not wish to have their name publicly circulated for long periods of times. The best candidates often say they would be willing to be candidates if they are part of a short list of candidates.

Funk said he will work closely with trustees and Search Advisory Committee throughout the process. He will contact 800 people on his proprietary list and all the professional education associations to inform them of the search.

The meeting was adjourned at 7 p.m. A social dinner followed.