DePauw announces presidential search committee

With the impending departure of DePauw President Mark McCoy next summer the university has moved forward with the formation of a search committee, with members and meeting dates announced on Wednesday.

Justin Christian, a 1995 DePauw graduate who was appointed in July to chair the committee, announced the 17 other members of the committee that will search for the university’s 21st president.

The board is composed of a variety of university trustees, graduates, faculty and staff members and current students.

Members of the committee include: Christian ’95, Founder/CEO BCForward and DePauw trustee; Betsy Beggs ’21, current economics major; trustee Lisa Henderson Bennett ‘93; Interim Vice President for Academic Affairs and Professor of Computer Science Dave Berque; Associate Professor Nicole Brockmann, school of music; trustee Matthew S. Darnall ‘85, managing director at Goldman Sachs; DePauw Alumni Association board member Sarah Gormley ’94, owner of the Sarah Gormley Gallery; Professor Jeff Hansen ’86, chemistry and biochemistry; staff council member Rob Harper, facilities director, major capital projects; Christian Hernandez ’20, current sociology major; trustee Denise Castillo Dell Isola ’96, immediate past president of the alumni association board of directors and Senior Program Officer for Irving Harris Foundation; trustee Kyle Lanham ’79, vice president of community engagement, Goodwill; Professor Matthew Oware, sociology; Associate Professor Amity Reading, English; Vice President for Development and Alumni Engagement Steve Setchell ’96; trustee Gregory A. Sissel ’94, managing director, Platte River Equity; trustee Michael L. Smith ’70, retired executive VP & CFO of Anthem; and trustee Kathy Patterson Vrabeck ’85, Partner, Korn Ferry.

“The goal during the past few months was to form a search committee that represents a wide cross section of the DePauw community,” Christian said. “I thank the faculty governance committee and student leaders for nominating faculty and student representatives and am pleased that these accomplished individuals, all of whom care deeply about DePauw, are willing to dedicate their time to this important quest. The committee will partner with university stakeholders to identify a dynamic leader who will honor DePauw’s outstanding legacy while forging new, visionary pathways.”

Christian announced at the Faculty-Staff Institute in August that Russell Reynolds Associates, a global leadership search firm, had been selected. Representatives from the firm will meet on campus with the search committee Sept. 18 and will host additional constituent group meetings Sept. 17 and 18. These will include forums with faculty, staff and students, as well as with faculty and staff governance groups.

Meetings will also be held off campus with alumni and Parent’s Council.

The search committee will invite the entire DePauw community to provide feedback throughout the process to depauw@russellreynolds.com and to participate in surveys that will be disseminated to all university constituent groups later this fall.

Future meetings on and off campus, including with alumni groups in major markets, are yet to be scheduled.

The charge to the search committee from the board of trustees, updates and other information will be posted regularly on the presidential search website at www.depauw.edu/presidentialsearch.

Although the timeline is not finalized, the goal is to have DePauw’s new president in place by July 1.