UIW Presidential Search Update

The search for the next president of the University of the Incarnate Word is well underway. Three preliminary tasks are completed. First, a search committee was established by the Board of Trustees. Chaired by Bobby Rosenthal, a member of the Board, the committee is made up of nine members representing the Board, the Congregation of the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word, faculty, students and alumni.

The first order of business for the Search Committee was to recommend a national search firm to lead the process. The Search Committee recommended Academic Search with Dr. Ann Die Hasselmo as our search consultant.

The search is a cooperative effort between the university and Academic Search. Our consultant is interacting extensively with the search committee while engaging a national audience of potential candidates, providing continual guidance and strategies for the completion of a successful search. Hasselmo was particularly helpful in getting our job announcement and university profile completed by the end of December. You can view those materials by going to the UIW homepage (there is a link at the very top of the page). You can also see our materials on Academic Search’s webpage, http://academic-search.com/.

While people from all over the country are considering the opening at UIW, applying or nominating candidates, the university community will be refining the qualities and qualifications we are seeking. Hasselmo was on the campus Feb. 1 and 2 to conduct over a dozen listening sessions with various constituent groups of the university, concluding by debriefing the Search Committee.

Meanwhile, the university hosted three presidents of Catholic universities for open conversations about the role and responsibilities of the president. Each conversation was lively and inspiring, shaping the expectations of the community for the next stages of the search.

The work of the Search Committee will involve narrowing the applicant pool, conducting initial off-campus interviews of up to 10 applicants, and the selection of the finalists. The tentative timeline for these steps begins late in March and will continue through May or until a successful candidate has emerged and accepted the presidency at UIW.

The overarching goal is to select the president who best fits the Mission and vision of the University of the Incarnate Word. The Board of Trustees and Search Committee are committed to taking the time necessary to accomplish this goal. Once a candidate has been selected by the Search Committee, the Board will vote to recommend approval of the candidate to the Congregation. If the Congregation approves the candidate, a press conference will be held to introduce the new president to the public.