Two weeks after Western Kentucky University President Gary Ransdell announced his retirement next year, the search is on for his replacement.  

During a special called meeting Friday afternoon, WKU’s Board of Regents appointed a committee to name the university’s 10th president by March 2017. The seven-member committee is made up of mostly current or former regents. Regent Phillip Bale, who will chair the committee, read from a statement thanking Ransdell and describing the search process. 

Members of the Presidential Search Committee include Barbara Burch, current faculty regent; Cynthia Harris, current board secretary; Julie Hinson, president of WKU’s Alumni Association; James G. Meyer, former board chairman; Jay Todd Richey, president of the Student Government Association; and Tamela Smith, current staff regent. 

“I anticipate and expect that the caliber of applicants for this presidency will be of the highest order,” he said. “I pledge that we will conduct our search with as much clarity as possible while not compromising the confidentiality that is so vital to the process.” 

Ransdell became WKU’s president in 1997. He’s said he will not be a part of the search process, and he symbolically passed the torch by excusing himself from the meeting. 

The board took the first step in the search process by approving a recommendation to request proposals from executive search firms to help with the search. The deadline to submit proposals is March 2. 

Following the meeting, Bale said the next president will need to “have the ability to be part manager, part academician, part politician, and it’s gonna take somebody with a lot of skills.” 

After finding the right selection firm, Bale said, there will be a “pre-search.” During that period, the board will work with the firm and other stakeholders to determine a profile for the president. 

He estimated that by late summer or early fall the committee will determine which candidates it’s interested in. The list will be narrowed to semi-finalists next fall and then finalists. The finalists would have to give up their confidentiality. 

“They would be visiting campus and interacting with our faculty and students,” he said, estimating the committee could have its decision ready by the end of this year or early next year. 

Student Regent Jay Todd Richey, said he wants as many students to be involved in the process as possible. 

“The students are the largest constituency on campus,” he said, also encouraging students to attend committee meetings and “make it as democratic as possible.” 

— Follow education and general assignment reporter Aaron Mudd on Twitter at twitter.com/aaron_muddbgdn or visit bgdailynews.com.