February 11, 2005: Volume 63, Number 6

Presidential search panel named

At the winter Board meeting on Saturday, trustee Frank L. Messa '73 announced the composition of the presidential search committee.

Guided by the diversity of Union's program strengths, Messa selected ten additional members of the Union community to join him in this process.

Faculty members on the committee are Ann Anderson, Thomas J. Watson, Sr. and Emma Watson Day Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering; Louisa Matthew, associate professor of Visual Arts; Terry S. Weiner, Chauncey H. Winters Professor of Comparative Social Analysis; and George Shaw, John and Jane Wold Professor of Geology.

Gillian McCabe '05, president of the Student Forum and a fourth-generation legacy, is the student representative to the committee.

Besides Messa, trustee members are Estelle Cooke-Sampson '74, MD, diagnostic radiologist, Washington Radiology Associates Inc.; David L. Henle '75, managing director of Goldman Sachs & Co.; John E. Kelly III '76, senior vice president of Technology and Intellectual Property for IBM; Lawrence Pedowitz '69, partner in the law firm of Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz; and Mark L. Walsh '76, managing partner, Ruxton Associates LLC. Trustee chairman Steve Ciesinski '70 will serve ex officio. 

In the past three weeks Messa has had public meetings with student and faculty groups and consulted widely with alumni. "I have been incredibly impressed by the spirit, focus, and commitment of everyone with whom I've spoken. I believe firmly that we have identified a representative sample of backgrounds and interests while staying small enough to move nimbly and swiftly," Messa said.  He interviewed dozens of prospective members before making the final selection in consultation with fellow trustees.

The initial tasks of the committee will be to work on a position description and select a search consulting firm. "This is a time of both introspection and outreach," Messa said. "As we reflect on the state of Union's many strengths, outstanding faculty and students as well as our pillars – Undergraduate Research, Terms Abroad, the Minerva System, Converging Technologies and Service – we will craft a job description to guide us in our search for a new leader. There is tremendous momentum - as evidenced by admissions and fundraising results - and we aim to capitalize on that. Our timeline is ambitious but candidate quality and fit - not chronology - will be our guiding theme."

Members of the Union College community will soon be able to communicate with the committee online. The URL will be announced as soon as the web site is ready.

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