Office of the Registrar

From: Office of the Board of Trustees

Dear Members of the OSU Community,

I write to provide an update on the search process for Oregon State University’s next president.

I am very happy to report that the OSU Board of Trustees will meet Friday, May 20, 2022, in public session to decide which finalist candidates to bring to the Corvallis campus the week of May 23 for public forums with the university community and in-person interviews with the board.

This past Saturday, May 7, and Monday, May 9, the board conducted executive session interviews with semi-finalist candidates. These meetings were in keeping with the presidential search process, the board’s role and Oregon’s public meetings law, which allows a public body to meet in executive session to consider the employment of a public officer.

We arrive at this place in the search with a strong and diverse field of excellent, highly qualified and varied candidates to consider for OSU’s next president, thanks to the exhaustive work of the presidential search advisory committee and the executive search firm Isaacson, Miller. And thanks to early input from OSU community members and stakeholders provided in a web survey and during 15 listening sessions where the board heard what qualities and qualifications OSU’s next president should possess, and what opportunities and challenges face the university in the future.

As part of the search, the board has engaged an independent contractor to conduct comprehensive background checks of candidates to be advanced in the next phase of the search. This due diligence was a recommendation that came out of a retrospective review of the university’s last presidential search process and was discussed at a board meeting on Oct. 8, 2021. Due diligence efforts regarding candidates also are being conducted by Isaacson, Miller and the university’s Office of Human Resources. Initial due diligence findings will be considered by the board in an executive session on May 20 before announcing finalist candidates in a public meeting.

The public forums with finalists will be held in-person, streamed live and recorded with a link for later viewing available on the presidential search website. The search website also will have a link for OSU community members and stakeholders to provide feedback on candidates.

We anticipate the board making a final decision on its presidential selection by June 7, with the new president taking office in July.

This is an exciting time for Oregon State University, the OSU community and all who the university serves. OSU is enjoying significant momentum and impact throughout Oregon, the nation and the world, thanks to the efforts and contributions of students, faculty and staff, and the engagement and support of alumni, donors and stakeholders.

In the weeks ahead, community awareness and participation in the presidential search process remains an essential board priority. While the bylaws governing the OSU Board of Trustees charge the board with hiring the president, all OSU trustees remain committed to completing a collaborative and transparent search with the engagement of university community members and stakeholders.

The board will continue to provide updates in emails and on the Board of Trustees website. Additionally, Trustee Julie Manning, who has chaired the presidential search advisory committee, will provide an update to the OSU Faculty Senate this Thursday, May 12.

Thank you for your continued engagement and contributions to the service mission and impact of Oregon State University, and for your continued interest and involvement in this important process to select the university’s next president.

Sincerely, Kirk Schueler, Chair, OSU Board of Trustees