The Board of Regents of Memorial University has endorsed the membership of the committee that will co-ordinate the search and selection of the next president of Newfoundland and Labrador’s university.

Memorial’s Presidential Search Committee held its inaugural meeting last week. It is chaired by Bob Simmonds, who also serves as chair of the Board of Regents. The committee is representative of a broad section of groups from within and outside the university.

The other members include:

Board of Regents representatives: 

·         Jennifer Guy

·         Jim Keating

Faculty:

·                     Prof. Shane O’Dea, English

·                     Dr. Donald McKay, Faculty of Medicine

·                     Dr. Sonya Corbin Dwyer, Sir Wilfred Grenfell College

·                     Cyr Couturier, Marine Institute

Students:

·         Cameron Campbell, MUNSU

·         Kimberley Keats, GSU 

Administrators:

·         Dr. Mark Abrahams, dean, Faculty of Science

·         Ann Marie Vaughan, director, Distance Education and Learning Technologies

Public-at-large:

·         Steven Belanger, Belanger Clarke Follett & McGettigan

The committee is supported by Glenn Collins, university registrar who also serves as advisor to the Board of Regents, and Tina Pardy, secretary of the Board of Regents.

In addition, the Board of Regents has formally approved Janet Wright and Associates as the consulting firm to assist the Presidential Search Committee.

The committee will be consulting widely over the coming weeks to gather information on community expectations for a new Memorial University president. These consultations will focus on the challenges and opportunities which would be the focus of Memorial’s new president as well as on the qualities and characteristics required of an individual for success in that important leadership role. Consultation sessions will be organized on Memorial’s campuses in St. John’s and Corner Brook and elsewhere.

“In advance of those consultations, our committee is encouraging individuals and groups from both inside and outside the university to gather together and discuss the kinds of characteristics they would like to see in a new president,” said Mr. Simmonds. “We are looking for input from as many sources as possible to help us in the task of identifying and selecting the best possible person to lead our university through these challenging but exciting times.”

Information on the consultation sessions will be released as the schedule is developed.