Last fall, President Higdon announced his plan to retire at the end of 2013, leaving the College with the task of finding its eleventh president and his successor. A Presidential Search Committee was created in late January of this year, led by Pamela Zilly ’75, chair of the Board of Trustees. The committee is comprised of fourteen members — seven trustees, four faculty members, one staff member and two students.
“The selection of the president of the College is one of the most important responsibilities of the Board of Trustees and as chair of the Board, it was sort of a natural transition to be the chair of the Search Committee,” said Zilly, who joined the Board of Trustees in 2005, thirty years after graduating from Connecticut College. “More practically, since I’m retired, I have more time than a lot of my fellow trustees and living in NYC, greater proximity to the College.”
Zilly had been on the Board for a year when President Hidgon was selected; while she voted for his selection, she said that she was not involved in the search process.
The current search committee met for the first time in early February, according to Zilly. “President Higdon has announced he is retiring at the end of December 2013 and our goal is to have a new president by then,” she said.
During that time, the committee met and selected Spencer Stuart, a national search firm with a background in academic leadership searches, to aid in the process of selecting the next president. Three consultants from the Education, Nonprofit and Government practice of Spencer Stuart are working with the committee to help find a qualified replacement for President Higdon.
The search committee hosted several open forums in early March and is now reviewing the input received from students, faculty, staff, deans, alumni, parents and other constituencies of the College. The information received regards “the opportunities and challenges facing the College and the experience and leadership characteristics we are seeking in the next president,” Zilly said. “That input informs the candidate pool that is currently being developed.”
The Search Committee and the Spencer Stuart search firm discussed the same questions that were asked of other constituents. “In addition to a lot of interesting comments and ideas, what I found gratifying was the unanimous level of excitement about the future of Connecticut College — that the College is an exceptional institution that can and will continue to excel in offering a liberal arts education,” Zilly said.
Tim Kast ’14 and Erica Lovett ’14 are the two student members on the Presidential Search Committee. A government and economics double major, as well as president of the class of 2014, Kast explained a little bit about the search process. “We first started looking at specific models of a president that we would want and which backgrounds seem more appealing. Right now the batch is large,” he said, but recently, the committee has begun to look at specific individuals and compare them to the ideal model.
“The Search Committee believes it is important to develop the broadest pool of candidates possible and is seeking candidates with diverse backgrounds consistent with the required qualities and experience,” Zilly said.
Some candidates have “traditional academic backgrounds,” while some have backgrounds outside of academia but still possess strong leadership qualities. “Higdon was kind of a hybrid,” Kast said. “He worked at Solomon Brothers for years, but then made the transition pretty successfully into the academic realm.”
One of the biggest hurdles that Kast believes the incoming president will face is the current financial state of the College. “We have the smallest endowment in the NESCAC, which I think we all kind of feel. With that comes rises in tuition which I think are going to have to be dealt with eventually.”
Kast added that the liberal arts education is currently at a crossroads. “We’re a school with a bit of an identity crisis. We have things that we’re good at, but the ‘brand doesn’t match the product’ — a term that’s been tossed around in meetings with the committee and Spencer Stuart. We have a great school with so much to offer, but the Connecticut College brand sells the school short.”
Perhaps the most important part of the search is finding a “visionary leader.” Zilly said, “At Connecticut College, I believe the role of the president is to be…an individual who will frame and lead a strategic plan that will further advance the academic excellence, resources and reputation of the College. The president must be committed to the mission of the College as a liberal arts institution, to shared governance and to diversity.”
Zilly also noted that the president should have clear and persuasive communication skills, be an advocate of a liberal arts education and Connecticut College and be able to secure philanthropic support for the College. “Particularly important at Connecticut [College], the president must enjoy being a member of a small community and be a visible, engaged presence on campus. As a leader of the College, the president must have outstanding academic credentials and demonstrate the highest ethical and moral standards.”
Additional reporting by Dave Shanfield
