Students engage in presidential search forum

Richmond College Student Government Association and the Westhampton College Government Association organized an event for Richmond students to offer input to the search for President Edward Ayers’ successor.

Stephen Portch, adviser to the board of trustees and the presidential search committee, led an open forum Wednesday, Aug. 27, in the Gottwald Science Center auditorium. The crowd of around 60 attendees included students, members of the board and members of the search committee.

Portch asked participants in the discussion to first consider the reasons they chose to attend Richmond and how they would like to see the university grow in the coming years. And second, to identify the qualities in a university president that would make their vision for the school possible.

“It is very important to realize that in the history of an institution, there’s the right president for the right place at the right time,” Portch said. "I want to be able to express in my report to the board and the committee the views of students, where the institution needs to go and what the president needs to bring to the table.”

One student asked the committee members to consider what qualities would make a candidate work well with the board of trustes to create and implement policy. Allison Weinstein, co-chair of the presidential search committee, said trustees provided input and feedback on policy decisions but the president had flexibility to pursue his or her own vision and initiatives.

“The kind of person we’re looking for would be someone who understands the university probably far better than any member of the board, and we recognize that so we try to be helpful, but sort of stand back and get out of their way,” Weinstein said.

RCSGA president Brad Groves said Patrick Love and Mimi Mudd, last year’s student government presidents, had emphasized the importance of student participation in decision-making that affected the university, which had led administrators to seek input from students on hiring decisions.

“We’ve had student panels that have been involved in the search for the provost,” Groves said. “Currently, the Office of International Education is looking for a new dean and there are students involved in that process and [the presidential search] as well.”

Mia Hagerty, Westhampton College ’17, and Alex Holva, Richmond College ’15, were chosen to sit on the presidential search committee and offer a student perspective. Both Hagerty and Holva attended the forum.

Alex Roat, WC ’15, a senior senator on the WCGA, also attended the forum. She said she thought the administration was making a stronger effort to include students in decision-making in the wake of controversy over the board’s decision two years ago to replace the men’s soccer and track and field programs with a lacrosse program.

Roat said the attendees, though primarily student government members, fairly represented the student body’s voice as its elected leaders. She said students asked the search committee members to consider a president who would market the University of Richmond and improve the school’s reputation.

“Something that came up a lot – that I guess is important to every student regardless of major and year and that benefits everyone – is establishing the reputation of the school more, especially since it’s such a small school,” Roat said.

Portch said the search committee and search firm Witt/Kieffer would conduct a nationwide search and consider candidates with varied backgrounds. He said it was important for Ayers’ successor to understand the academic culture of a university.

“Whatever the background, a president of the university needs to understand the cultural nature of it being a community with many stakeholders, all who believe they’re the most important. And they’re all right,” Portch said.

Contact reporter Jesse Siebentritt at jesse.siebentritt@richmond.edu