The Binghamton University Presidential Search Committee announced its criteria for the University’s next president.
Members of the committee want the new president to able to address the long-term goals of the University, and the criteria shows an emphasis on the development of research and graduate programs, as well as proven success in fundraising.
According to the published list of criteria, the search committe is looking for a candidate with, ‘an appreciation for the importance of maintaining a healthy, productive balance between research and high-quality teaching [and] a commitment to professional and graduate education and relevant experience in strengthening graduate level institutions.’
The committee is also seeking candidates with experience in high-level management, connections with leaders in industry, education and government, a commitment to diversity and the ability to advocate for BU at the SUNY, State and Federal levels.
Since May, a committee led by BU Council chair Kathryn Grant Madigan has been working with the search firm Isaacson Miller to find a successor for former President Lois DeFleur.
According to Isaacson Miller’s website, the committee is searching for a president who has high energy and experience and will ‘be a visible, inspiring presence to students.’
The committee has been establishing the criteria for applicants for the job, assessing the various applicants based on the established criteria and gathering input from the University community.
According to Katie Howard, the undergraduate student representative on the search committee, the committee is still receiving applications from various candidates, and the committee will soon be able to start narrowing down the field of applicants. The search firm is also looking through its database for prospective candidates for the position.
Howard said that the search will move into the next stages in the coming weeks.
‘A few weeks into the semester, the pace will pick up as the committee shifts focus from seeking and collecting applicants to sorting, discussing and then interviewing,’ she said.
The SUNY Board of Trustees makes the final decision on the next president, and according to Howard, the committee hopes to have a new president selected by winter break. She said, however, that there is no definitive timeline.
The committee is also seeking input from students. The committee includes a representative from both the graduate and undergraduate classes. On May 24 and 25, the committee held forums for faculty and students in the Old University Union.
‘These forums were a way to get direct input from the various constituencies on the key issues facing each group and the direction they would like to see the University head toward,’ Howard said.
While the committee continues its search for the future president of the University, the position is currently held, as of July 1, by Interim President C. Peter Magrath.
Magrath was previously the University President from 1972 to 1974. He has also worked at the University of Minnesota and most recently was the Interim President at the University of West Virginia between 2008 and 2009.
Magrath has promised to be open to students while he is serving as president and plans to continue work on fundraising measures for the University.
‘We are two sides of the same coin,’ Magrath said at a conference on July 22, speaking of the interrelatedness of the University and the community. ‘Binghamton University’s success ‘ depends on the growth of its region and our mutual ability to work as partners together.’