Dear Hope College Staff and Faculty,
Last week, the Board of Trustees held its annual fall meeting. One of the main discussion points at the meeting was the search for a new president.
The board is committed to recruiting a highly qualified individual to lead the college and ensuring a successful transition of leadership. To that end, the trustees approved a comprehensive presidential search and transition process, and also affirmed the use of a search firm to work closely with the search committee. A transition committee and the search committee will be formed this fall. The search firm will also be selected this fall.
Presidential Transition Committee
The Presidential Transition Committee will provide consistent leadership of the process, from the search through the first year of the new president’s term. It will be made up of trustees and Administrative Council representatives with the charge to:
- Oversee the successful implementation of the search, transition and onboarding process;
- Ensure there are opportunities to recognize our outgoing president Dennis Voskuil and welcome the new president;
- Identify and address issues and opportunities that may impact the transition process;
- Build relationships between various stakeholders and stakeholder groups; and
- Maintain communication with various stakeholder groups at appropriate points throughout the process.
Presidential Search Committee
The Presidential Search Committee will be representative of the Hope community and committed to the full extent of its charge. It will be composed of trustee, faculty, staff, student and alumni representatives. The search committee will be responsible to:
- Conduct an analysis of the college’s future needs and opportunities and formulate a prospectus based on the analysis;
- Generate a strong and diverse pool of candidates;
- Screen the candidate pool, conduct interviews, organize campus visits, and perform due diligence to screen candidates;
- Keep the board informed of committee progress at critical points throughout the process;
- Keep the college community informed at key points; and
- Provide opportunity for stakeholder feedback prior to making a recommendation to the Board of Trustees, ideally by or before the January 2019 meeting.
The Executive Committee of the Board of Trustees will select committee representatives from a slate of nominees from each stakeholder group, then send the committee slate to the Board of Trustees for approval in December 2017. Mary Remenschneider, chief of staff, is supporting the search committee, and she will work with each stakeholder group to prepare the slates for the Executive Committee.
During the search process, there will be opportunities for all stakeholders to provide input. So, whether or not you serve on the Presidential Search Committee, your feedback will inform the search for and selection of Hope’s next president.
President Voskuil and Mary Remenschneider will share more information about the search and transition process at the upcoming faculty meeting and staff town hall meeting.
On behalf of the Board of Trustees, thank you for your dedication and service to Hope College. We are grateful for your prayers and support as we begin this important next step for Hope.
Spera in Deo,
Karl Droppers
Chair, Hope College Board of Trustees