Transition Update

February 1, 2010

North Dakota State University Presidential Search Committee Meeting Minutes

Wednesday, January 20, 2010, 1:00 p.m.
Reimers Room, Alumni Center, Fargo, ND

Attendance

Committee Members: Steve Swiontek, Amber Altstadt, Sue Andrews, Barry Batcheller, James Burgum, Bruce Christianson, Lynn Dorn, Kate Haugen, Kalpana Katti, Paul Langseth, Kevin McCaul, Don Morton, Vance Olson, Mark Meister, Evie Myers, Bonnie Neas, John Q. Paulsen, Kris Sheridan, Richie Smith, and Mike Warner
Others: Barb Pederson, Garry Owens

The meeting was called to order at 1:00 p.m. by Chair, Steve Swiontek.

• Welcome
  Steve Swiontek welcomed the committee members and guests to the meeting. All committee members were present.
  
  
• Presidential Profile
  Steve Swiontek reviewed the process of producing the presidential profile. The initial draft was developed by Garry Owens, search consultant, who spent approximately two days on campus, prior to developing the profile, meeting with campus and community members. There were five open forums and two webinars where interested campus and community members had the opportunity to give their input and feedback on the draft presidential profile. The information gathered from the open forums and webinars was provided to Laura McDaniel, Assistant Vice President for University Relations. Laura and her team incorporated the information and updated the draft presidential profile. The revised draft profile must be reviewed and approved by the committee and then forwarded to the State Board of Higher Education for their approval. The draft presidential profile was discussed by the committee. Kalpana Katti presented a revised paragraph on the research section. John Paulsen moved to insert the paragraph into the profile. Richie Smith seconded the motion. All members present voted by roll call vote and the motion carried unanimously. Steve Swiontek led the committee in a review of the entire profile. Mike Warner moved to accept the presidential profile with revisions recommended by the committee members. Kevin McCaul seconded the motion. All members present voted by roll call vote and the motion carried unanimously.
  
  
• Ads
  Garry Owens advised the committee of the advertising plan including the publications and time the ads will appear. Kevin McCaul suggested APLU (Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities) be added to the list. Besides the printed ads, Garry will be visiting with current administration members from other universities seeking potential candidates for the presidential position. There also will be mailings and email blasts. Garry will be attending the ACE conference in Phoenix, AZ and will be able to answer questions from prospective candidates and those that may want to nominate someone for the position. There was a concern expressed regarding the timeline of only four weeks to gather applications. A discussion followed. March 1 is the target date not an absolute date
  
  
• Academic Search, Inc. website
  Garry Owens explained how to access the website. In mid-February, Garry will send username, password, and instructions for reviewing the applicant file. Each applicant file will contain a letter of application, vitae, and five references. Committee members are urged to block time on their calendars at the end of February to review the pool of applicants. Committee members must review all applicants prior to March 3. Usage of the Candidate Assessment Form was discussed. The overall ratings by each committee member must be sent to Barb Pederson by Wednesday, March 3, for tabulation. Evie Myers reminded committee members that the Candidate Assessment Form must be used for each applicant because documentation is necessary for all applicants to be treated equitably. Barry Batcheller moved to have committee members review applicants, fill out the Candidate Assessment Form for each applicant indicating a yes/no/maybe recommendation regarding moving the applicants forward to the next step, and review the applicants at the next meeting. Vance Olson seconded the motion. All members present voted by roll call vote and the motion carried.
  
  
• Applicants after Target Date
  Garry Owens explained that applications received after the target date of March 1 will be discussed at the March 24^th meeting.
  
  
• Reference Calling Guidelines
  Steve Swiontek mentioned that the reference calling will be discussed at the March 4 committee meeting. The committee members will be doing the reference calling in teams. John Paulsen recommended teams of three. Steve will assign team members. Academic Search, Inc. will be doing the search engine checks. Steve explained that all reference calls will be with listed references. Committee members should review the Reference Calling Guidelines and the Reference Calling Themes and be prepared to provide feedback at the March 4 meeting.
  
  
• Timeline
  The Presidential Search Timeline was updated with a change of location for the offsite interviews. They will be conducted at the Ramada Plaza Suites in Fargo the weekend of April 10-11 followed by a meeting on Sunday evening.

The meeting was adjourned at 3:35 p.m.

Respectfully submitted by Barb Pederson

January 21, 2010

Presidential profile finalized

The State Board of Higher Education has approved the Presidential Profile as forwarded by the NDSU Presidential Search Committee. The profile was developed initially by the Garry Owens, the search consultant from Academic Search, and amended based on extensive input from campus, community and committee members the week of Jan. 11. Advertising for the position will be published in February, in a number of publications or web sites, including the Chronicle of Higher Education, Hispanic Outlook, Inside Higher Education, Journal of Blacks in Higher Education, Women in Higher Education, Diverse, Tribal College Journal, Indian Country Today, and the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education. The goal is for interviews to take place in April and for the State Board of Higher Education to conduct final interviews in May.

• Presidential Profile

January 20, 2010

Search committee moves ahead on presidential profile

The NDSU Presidential Search Committee has reviewed and approved a draft presidential profile outlining expectations of the university's 14th president. On Jan. 20, the committee forwarded the five-page profile to the State Board of Higher Education for consideration at its Jan. 21 meeting in Grand Forks, N.D.

The draft profile, which will be used in advertising for the position, was developed as the committee held a series of forums and webinars. "We got a lot of good input, suggestions and ideas," explained committee chair Steve Swiontek. "Overall, everyone thought the original basic profile was very good, and we wanted to make a few enhancements to it."

After the State Board of Higher Education gives its approval to the profile, the position will be advertised during the month of February. In addition, a 12-page marketing piece describing the university will be used in the advertising.

The search committee has a target date of March 1 to receive applications. Then, on March 4, the committee will begin the important work of sifting though the applications.

"At that meeting, we will narrow the list down to a certain number of candidates for reference checks. That number depends on the committee itself. They may want a larger group for reference checking, or they may decide on a smaller group," Swiontek said. "All the members of the committee will evaluate and determine 'yes,' 'no' or 'maybe' on whether we should pursue each candidate further. So, the March 4 meeting will be a big meeting in this process."

Garry Owens of the consulting firm Academic Search Inc. said he expects a good pool of candidates, but won't speculate on the number of applicants.

"Candidates will be very interested," Owens said. "NDSU is a wonderful institution with its land-grant mission, long history and growth cycle. There are opportunities to do lots of things. So, I think it should be a good field."

Swiontek said the process has moved along smoothly, noting the timeline calls for the committee to bring three unranked candidates to the State Board of Higher Education on May 24.

"I'm very pleased with the committee involvement. I've been pleased with the suggestions and ideas we've received on campus, as well as statewide. It's all been healthy and beneficial," Swiontek said. "We're all on the same page. We want to make sure that we find the best qualified candidate."

January 19, 2010

January 20 search committee meeting

The NDSU Presidential Search Committee will meet 1 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 20, in the Reimers Room at the Alumni Center. The meeting agenda, and the Presidential Profile, revised extensively based on input gathered from five open forums, two webinars, and emails, are below.

• meeting agenda
• revised Presidential Profile

January 12, 2010

Open forums being held on presidential profile

The NDSU Presidential Search committee is holding a series of open forums to gain campus and public input on a draft presidential profile, which outlines the job requirements for the university's next president. The draft profile is available at www.ndsu.edu/fileadmin/news.ndsu.edu/Transition/NDSU.pres.profile.draft.pdf.

At an open forum Jan. 12, committee chair Steve Swiontek said, "We want to allow an opportunity for people on and off campus, whether it be students, faculty, staff, alumni, supporters or community, to participate. We want them to look to see if they are comfortable with the draft presidential profile."

Swiontek said interested persons may participate in three ways - through open forums, two scheduled webinars or by e-mail. Input should be sent to ndsu.presidential.search@ndsu.edu. "It's important that everybody is on the same page and understands the expectations we have for the new president," Swiontek said.

Other forums are scheduled for Thursday, Jan. 14, at 10 a.m. in Richard H. Barry Hall's room 360, and Thursday, Jan. 14, at 3:30 p.m. in the Memorial Union Hidatsa Room. Webinars are scheduled for Wednesday, Jan. 13, at 9 a.m. and Friday, Jan. 15, at 9 a.m.

According to Swiontek, comments and input presented this week will be provided to the 20-member search committee, which meets on Wednesday, Jan. 20, to consider and recommend language changes. The following day, Jan. 21, the State Board of Higher Education will meet to approve final wording of the presidential profile. Once approved, the committee will work with the consulting firm of Academic Search Inc. to have the material advertised.

The search timetable calls for nominations and applications in February, followed in March by the committee narrowing down the number of candidates through reference and background checks.

During April and early May, the committee expects to bring three to five candidates to the NDSU campus for interviews and presentations. On May 13, Swiontek said, the committee is scheduled to recommend three unranked candidates for board consideration. He said the State Board of Higher Education plans to interview the finalists on May 21 and make its selection. He anticipates the 14th president of the university will be on the job this summer, before fall semester begins.

"The process has been working well," Swiontek said. "It is important we get all the information out to the campus and community, so that people know how it is going."

January 8, 2010

Presidential Search Committee seeks input

The NDSU Presidential Search Committee is seeking feedback and input on the Presidential Profile (job description) from the campus and community. After campus and community input has been collected, the NDSU Presidential Search Committee will continue the process of presenting three candidates for consideration to the State Board of Higher Education.

Presidential Profile

To provide feedback to the committee, you may:

1. Participate in open forums January 11-15 (schedule below).

2. Participate in a webinar

3. Provide feedback via e-mail, ndsu.presidential.search@ndsu.edu

Open forums:

Monday, January 11, 5:30 - 6:30 p.m. Lark Room, Memorial Union

Tuesday, January 12, 10:30 - 11:30 a.m. Hidatsa Room, Memorial Union

Tuesday, January 12, 1:30 - 2:30 p.m. Room 262, Barry Hall

Wednesday, January 13, 9 - 10 a.m. Webinar

Thursday, January 14, 10 - 11 a.m. Room 360, Barry Hall

Thursday, January 14, 3:30 - 4:30 p.m. Hidatsa Room, Memorial Union

Friday, January 15, 9 - 10 a.m. Webinar

Here are the instructions for participating in a webinar online:

(Microsoft Windows users: please use Internet Explorer (not the newest version, 8) or Firefox. Macintosh users: please use Safari. Firefox does work but issues can occur.)

Please go to the room some time before the event, a day or two in advance would work best. If Wimba is running on your computer for the first time, you will be prompted to run the setup wizard. Simply follow the directions to run the wizard.

1. To run the wizard or enter the room, please go to: http://ndivnlc.wimba.com/

click on "Participant Login."

Room ID: NDSU_Ag

Name: your name

2. Once you are logged in, select "NDSU Ag Communication" and you will enter the room.

3. Feel free to re-size any of the windows or move the video window around.

4. Have a headset with microphone ready if you want to ask questions. But if the group becomes too large, audio may just be one way. You can hear the speaker, but to offer a comment, type it in the chat box.

If you would like to learn more about participating in Wimba please go to this Web site: http://www.ag.ndsu.edu/wimba/

The most important links to get you stated are the "Participant - Getting started quick reference," the "Equipment Required" and the "Wimba Login." If you have questions about Wimba please contact: Scott Swanson - s.swanson@ndsu.edu, 231-7086.

December 22, 2009

North Dakota State University Presidential Search Committee Meeting Minutes

Wednesday, December 16, 2009, 1:30 - 4:00 p.m.
Plains Room, Memorial Union, NDSU Campus, Fargo, ND

Attendance
Committee Members: Steve Swiontek, Amber Altstadt, Sue Andrews, Barry Batcheller, James Burgum, Bruce Christianson, Lynn Dorn, Bill Goetz (ex-officio), Kate Haugen, Kalpana Katti, Paul Langseth, Kevin McCaul, Don Morton, Vance Olson, Evie Myers, Bonnie Neas, John Q. Paulsen, Kris Sheridan, Richie Smith, and Mike Warner
Others: Barb Pederson, Garry Owens, Pat Seaworth (on phone)
Committee Members Absent: Mark Meister

The meeting was called to order at 1:30 p.m. by Chair, Steve Swiontek.

• Introductions
  Steve Swiontek welcomed the committee and guests. He gave a brief introduction on the outline of the search process. Each committee member, staff support, and consultant introduced themselves with some background information and how they are connected to NDSU.

• Committee Charge
  Chancellor Goetz welcomed and thanked all of the committee members and the chair for their willingness to serve. It is the responsibility of the committee to submit three unranked names to the State Board of Higher Education (SBHE). This is an immense responsibility and the committee has the support of the Chancellor's office and the SBHE.

• Review of SBHE Policy 601.1-Presidential Search & Screening Committee Duties & Responsibilities
  Pat Seaworth, General Counsel for the North Dakota University System office, reinforced the importance of the statement in the policy that says the committee will forward three unranked names to the SBHE. Pat advised the committee of the need for approval of the timeline and the presidential profile. There was a discussion held on the aggressive dates in the timeline. He reminded the committee that the chair should be the spokesperson for the committee to the media including all correspondence and emails.

• Review Search Committee & Open Meetings/Open Records Memorandum 11/25/09
  Pat Seaworth advised all committee members that all emails regarding the search process are open records. Also, notes taken are subject to open records requests although there are no legal requirements to retain/save these documents. Any saved documents must be produced if there is an open records request. All meetings are open to the public. All business, including discussions involving one half or more of the voting members, must be a public meeting. This cannot be evaded by having a series of conversations if the total involves one half or more of the members. This rule is also extended to subcommittees. Consultants are able to have private phone conversations with contacts and are not required to reveal identities until the candidate officially applies, then it becomes open record. Once an application is received, including a nomination, it is public information. Consultant's records of candidates and applications are subject to open records requests. A discussion followed and Pat reaffirmed the open records requirements citing a Supreme Court case. Pat mentioned the compliance with non-discrimination laws. NDSU has a policy that addresses sexual orientation as a protected category. He said the affirmative action requirement is a federal regulation and SBHE policy. He will, at the next meeting, present to the committee, the restrictions and prohibitions inquiries that may discourage applications from underrepresented groups. The search consultant must take steps to encourage applications from underrepresented groups. There are no quotas, however, the goal is to have a pool of highly qualified applicants and steps must be taken to encourage those applications. The question was asked by several committee members if having North Dakota's open records law will impede the search from getting the best candidates A discussion ensued regarding what is law and what is policy, who can make nominations, and if reference names are open records. Steve Swiontek reminded the committee that this law has been on the North Dakota books for several years. It was the law when the last two presidents were hired.

• Review Search Process and Adopt Timeline
  Steve Swiontek and Garry Owens reviewed the timeline. Garry will provide a draft of the presidential profile prior to the January open forums. Ads will be placed in various publications and websites including the Chronicle of Higher Education, HigherEdJobs.com, Academic-Search.com. The open forums will include an opportunity via IVN or Webinar for input from constituents across the state. Garry gave an overview on the process for interviewing. Vance Olson made a motion to approve the timeline as presented. Motion seconded by Kevin McCaul. Motion carried. The timeline corresponds with the request of the SBHE to have a president on campus by midsummer.

• NDSU fact sheets and committee members contact information
  Steve Swiontek asked all committee members to familiarize themselves with the information provided to them about NDSU. If there is some other information or publication they would like to have, please forward those requests to Barb Pederson.

• Review Statement of Good Practices and Committee Guidelines
  Steve Swiontek reviewed the consultant's role in the search process. Garry Owens will provide candidate assessment forms, potential reference calling questions, and neutral site interview questions to the committee members at the appropriate time. He will recruit to the profile, send the profile to colleagues, and make contacts that will build the best possible candidate pool. All committee members will have access to the applications. Garry mentioned that the prioritizing system of evaluations will be anonymous. A discussion followed on the final voting process. Garry will send to Barb some website links of recent land-grant institutions' presidential profiles for the committee members to review.

• Communication with NDSU Campus
  Steve Swiontek had met with Keith Bjerke, Laura McDaniel, and Najla Amundson from University Relations. A link has been established on the NDSU website homepage that will take interested participants to the search information and application web pages.

• Budget
  The cost of the NDSU Presidential Search will be paid from NDSU funds. Steve Swiontek reviewed the budget by category and explained the rationale for the budgeted amount. Richie Smith made a motion to approve the budget as presented. Kate Haugen seconded the motion. Discussion was held on committee expenses. The motion was carried.

The meeting adjourned at 4:00 p.m.

Respectfully submitted by Barb Pederson

December 16, 2009

Search committee holds first meeting

Members of the NDSU Presidential Search Committee adopted a timeline for the process at their first meeting on Dec. 16. The timeline includes goals of reviewing a first draft of a presidential profile, which serves as the position description, and open forums for campus and community to give input on the profile, in January. The goal is for interviews to take place in April and for the State Board of Higher Education to conduct final interviews in May.

Chancellor William Goetz also addressed the group, and emphasized the requirement for the committee to forward at least three candidates to the State Board of Higher Education for final consideration.

The committee reviewed affirmative action, legal requirements and open meetings and open records laws and policies.

The committee adopted a budget of $175,000, which includes a fee for a search consultant, advertising the position, travel expenses for candidates and travel expenses for the committee to do initial interviews in Minneapolis. "Interviewing at a major airport is a way to facilitate the process, as it allows the committee to meet numerous candidates with a focus on interviewing and narrow the pool to invite candidates to campus," said Steve Swiontek, chair of the search committee.

Committee documents are below.

December 14, 2009

NDSU Students, Faculty and Staff:

Members of the NDSU Presidential Search Committee will meet for the first time on Wednesday, December 16 at 1:30 p.m., in the Plains Room of the Memorial Union. Below are the materials that were sent out to committee members last week including the meeting agenda and search timeline and budget.

• Agenda 12/16
• Electronic search
• Estimated proposed budget
• Open meetings memo
• SBHE policies
• Timeline

December 3, 2009

The following message was sent at the request of Chancellor Goetz to the members of the NDSU presidential search committee and NDSU faculty, staff and students on Dec. 2:

I'm pleased to announce that Academic Search Inc. has been selected to lead the NDSU presidential search. Founded in 1976 in Washington, D. C., the firm has completed 186 presidential searches since 2005, and 95 percent of candidates recruited with their assistance in the last five years are still in office. Academic Search Inc. has named senior consultant Dr. Garry W. Owens to lead the search process. A former academic dean, Dr. Owens is highly regarded for his work in conducting a successful presidential search at Dickinson State University in 2007. He also conducted a recent vice presidential search at the University of South Dakota and a chancellor search at the University of Minnesota Rochester. The date of the first meeting of the search committee will be announced soon. I believe the process we have begun will result in the naming of an exceptional new president for North Dakota State University.

Sincerely,

Bill Goetz
Chancellor

November 30, 2009

Chancellor Bill Goetz announced today his recommendation to add Kevin McCaul, Ph.D., dean of the College of Science and Mathematics, to the NDSU Presidential Search Committee. Goetz will take the recommendation to the State Board of Higher Education for approval at the December board meeting. Goetz said he will recommend the addition of McCaul to incorporate the perspective of academic administrators and to ensure balanced campus representation on the committee.

November 20, 2009

Chancellor Bill Goetz announced today his recommendation to add Vance Olson, president of the NDSU Staff Senate, to the NDSU Presidential Search Committee. Goetz will take the recommendation to the State Board of Higher Education for approval at the December board meeting. The search committee named at yesterday's State Board of Higher Education meeting includes both the student body president and the University Senate president. Goetz said he will recommend the addition of Olson to the committee to ensure balanced campus representation on the committee.

November 19, 2009

Presidential search committee named

The State Board of Higher Education has selected a 17-member search committee that will recommend who will succeed Joseph A. Chapman as NDSU president.

At its Nov. 19 meeting at Minot State University, the board appointed Steve Swiontek, CEO of Gate City Bank, to chair the committee. Other committee members include:

• Amber Altstadt, NDSU student body president

• Sue Andrews, member of State Board of Higher Education

• Barry Batcheller, president and CEO of Appareo Systems

• James Burgum, managing director, Arthur Ventures

• Bruce Christianson, former State Board of Higher Education member

• Lynn Dorn, NDSU director of women's athletics

• Catherine Haugen, NDSU associate vice president for student affairs

• Kalpana Katti, NDSU distinguished professor of civil engineering

• Paul Langseth, vice chairman of State Board of Agricultural Research and Education

• Mark Meister, NDSU associate professor and president of NDSU University Senate

• Don Morton, Microsoft site leader for Fargo campus

• Evie Myers, NDSU vice president for Equity, Diversity and Global Outreach

• Bonnie Neas, NDSU vice president for information technology

• John Q. Paulsen, member of the NDSU Development Foundation board of trustees

• Kris Sheridan, president, Park Company Realtors

• Richie Smith, president of State Board of Higher Education

• Mike Warner, independent businessman/agriculturist

• William Goetz, chancellor, non-voting member

The committee membership was designed to include broad representation from NDSU, the community, economic development interests and agriculture. Chancellor Goetz has said he expects the search to take six to nine months.

November 6, 2009

• President Chapman remains at NDSU through Nov. 30

NDSU President Joseph A. Chapman will remain in office through Nov. 30. Chapman is completing normal November business, including working with Vice President John Adams and his staff in Finance and Administration to finalize the fall semester budget. Information will be distributed as soon as possible after the details are finalized.

• Richard Hanson, who was chosen by the State Board of Higher Education to be interim president, will begin work Dec. 1 and will remain until a permanent replacement is selected.

• Presidential search committee to be named

The State Board of Higher Education is expected to receive a list of nominations for the NDSU presidential search committee when it meets on Nov. 19. The meeting is scheduled to be held at Minot State University in Minot, N.D.

The committee will work to find the successor to President Joseph A. Chapman, who has announced his resignation. Interim President Richard A. Hanson, president of Waldorf College in Forest City, Iowa, will join the NDSU campus on Dec. 1.

According to Chancellor William Goetz, the committee is anticipated to include about 16 members, with representation from NDSU students, faculty and staff, as well as the academic and research areas of the university. Other committee members will represent the community, economic development and city government.

The board also is expected to consider proposals from a number of search consultants.

"The search environment will be that NDSU is a tremendous university. There are a lot of good things happening and we need to keep the momentum going," Goetz said during a visit to NDSU on Oct. 29 to discuss the search process with administrators, faculty, staff and students. "We need to stay the course and maintain our focus. We need to continue tomove forward."

Goetz has indicated the search could last six to nine months.