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Board of Trustees to choose Bradshaw’s replacement in December

Students, staff and faculty of FGCU will know who is replacing president Wilson Bradshaw by Dec. 9.
On Wed. July 13, the Presidential Search Advisory Committee met to discuss changing the length of the search timeline. Witt/Kieffer, the executive search firm that was appointed by the committee in June, considered the current timeline too lengthy.
“In consultation with Witt/Kieffer, I feel like we need to recommend to them a tighter timeline to advance the search,” committee chair Ken Smith said.
Lucy Leske, an executive recruiter from Witt/Kieffer, participated in the meeting via telephone call-in. Leske then went into greater detail as to why the timeline needed to be updated, the main reason being that the longer candidates are waiting for a response, the less interest they’ll have in the position.
“At the time, we indicated that it seemed stretched,” Leske said, referring to a conversation she had with committee members during a previous meeting. “It really does limit the time candidates can maintain interest in the search.”
Leske suggested that the PSAC needs to pick up the pace by reaching out to candidates sooner rather than later and finishing the leadership development profile, a brochure-style document containing information about the university and the surrounding local community.
“We can do a number of things,” Leske said. “We could gain a number of the constituents’ outreached activities marked now, get the leadership development profile launched now, so that way, by the first of September, it can go out into the marketplace.”
It’ll take about eight weeks to build a pool of candidates. After the committee identifies those individuals, their profiles will become public, so the PSAC will want to continue the process quickly. Once the candidates are interviewed and taken to campus, which will take about a month, the committee will know where those who applied stand in the running.
“When candidates know where they stand, they will stay with it,” Leske said. “Any ambiguity or lack of communication is what causes them to withdraw or to be attracted to other positions.”
Leske believes that by reaching out to constituents now, finishing developing the leadership development profile and launching the search right around Labor Day will give the faculty, staff and students time to provide input.
After the BOT narrows down the last three candidates on Dec. 9, its decision will wait for approval from the Board of Governors during their next meeting on Jan. 25 and 26 2017.

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