November 21, 2014

To the Members of the University Community,

As our beloved President Donna E. Shalala prepares to step down, the Presidential Search Committee is deeply honored to lead this historic and exciting effort. She has led a transformation that elevated the stature of the U during a period of great change. The results of our efforts today will not only shape the future of the University, but also help drive the continued evolution of this community into one of the great global capitals of the world.

It is important that the process meets the dual requirements that it be both transparent and confidential. Those goals may seem contradictory at first, but they are not:

• The process must be transparent in order to maintain the trust and support of all parties. It is essential that the University community (including students, faculty, alumni, trustees, athletics, and other related parties) be confident that the process is clear, communicated well, and administered fairly.


• At the same time, the actual deliberations must be confidential in order to maintain the trust and interest of the most desirable candidates.

There is no inconsistency between these two imperatives.

As part of the search process, we will be reaching out to the campus community, as well as our vast network of friends and supporters, to solicit feedback on issues facing the University of Miami – and those qualities to seek in a new president. This is a key part of the search process, since it provides the committee with insights and perspectives of which it would not otherwise be aware.

The process is off to a good start, but it is just beginning. The search committee has retained the services of Russell Reynolds Associates, a worldwide leader in executive recruiting with offices in 26 countries, to assist in this process. Led by Dr. Ilene H. Nagel and her team, Russell Reynolds’ higher education practice focuses on the recruitment of presidents, provosts, and deans for many prestigious private institutions, such as MIT, Stanford, Johns Hopkins, Northwestern, the University of Pennsylvania, and now, the University of Miami.

We encourage those interested in submitting nominations or candidate applications to do so at umiami.president@russellreynolds.com. We have created a presidential search website to keep the University community informed on matters related to the search – and for members of the community to reach out to us to discuss the search. Find it at http://president-search.miami.edu. Your comments should be sent to us at presidentialsearch@miami.edu. We look forward to receiving your comments and suggestions.

On behalf of the Presidential Search Committee and the Board of Trustees, we wish to thank everyone for their support and consideration of this momentous opportunity.

Sincerely,

Richard D. Fain
Chair, Presidential Search Committee
Vice Chair, Board of Trustees