Search and Screen Committee sets timeline to select Vermont State University president; first full meeting Sept. 22

Trustee David Durfee, chair of the Search and Screen Committee, told the Vermont State Colleges executive committee that the committee will hold its first full meeting Monday, Sept. 22, and will begin a multi-month schedule of work to identify finalists for the Vermont State University presidency. Durfee said the search firm Isaacson/Miller has been meeting with stakeholder groups, including students, faculty and staff, and will present to the committee next week. "Isaacson Miller has been meeting with stakeholder groups over the last several weeks," Durfee said. The firm will return with an initial list of prospective candidates in late October and then again in mid-December with a refined slate for committee interviews. The committee plans remote interviews over several days in January, followed by a narrowing of the field and a likely recommendation of a handful of finalists to the full board. Durfee said the committee consists of five trustees plus a community member, a faculty member and a staff member and noted scheduling has been a challenge. Durfee added the committee is drafting a charter that will set scope and guidelines for the temporary committee; he said that charter should be ready for review when the committee meets next week. Chair Dickinson and trustee members discussed approving the charter and having the committee formally "stood up" so it can begin its work. Durfee said the committee expects to present finalists in time for a selection that would enable a July 1 start date for the new president, assuming the timeline proceeds as planned.