Academic Search Retained by Wright State to Find New Leader

September 14, 2016 – With the new school year underway, education-focused recruiter Academic Search has been retained by Wright State University in Ohio to lead its search for a new president. David R. Hopkins will retire as president when his contract expires next June.

Senior consultants Dr. Jerry M. Israel and Dr. Mac A. Stewart will lead the assignment.

“The selection of a highly qualified search firm is a significant milestone in our search, and we couldn’t be happier to have Academic Search as our partner,” said Doug Fecher, chair of the search and screening advisory committee. “Members of our search committee were thorough and thoughtful in conducting a competitive process, and Academic Search was the consensus choice of the committee. We are excited to get started with the next phase of our search.”

Academic Search’s role in the assignment will include assisting the search and screening advisory committee finalize its search plan, set a timeline, develop a thorough profile of the next president and identify candidates for the committee to interview for the position.

The committee includes more than 20 representatives of the university board of trustees, students, faculty, staff, deans, retirees and alumni as well as Dayton-area community members.

Due Diligence: Vetting More Than 20 Search Firms

Carol Loranger, faculty president and a member of the committee work group charged with vetting search firms, said the group was impressed with Academic Search’s experience working with other Ohio colleges, including 16 searches for 10 different institutions in the state. The work group also highlighted Academic Search’s strong commitment to diversity as a reason for selecting the firm.

The school had originally sent requests for proposal to more than 20 different executive search firms, including minority-owned and those firms specializing in higher education, and others. “Academic Search has a long history of successful executive searches in higher education,” said Ms. Loranger.

Wright State University is a public research university in Dayton, Ohio with nearly 18,000 students. Offering more than 230 degree programs, the university is made up of eight colleges, three schools, and a branch campus in Celina, Ohio. The school is named after the Wright brothers.

A Leader In Executive Search For The Academic Sector

For over three decades, Academic Search has served as a leader in the design and implementation of search processes for presidents and senior administrators at colleges and universities throughout the country. The firm has completed more than 380 executive searches for higher education institutions and related organizations for positions ranging from deans to provosts to presidents within the last five years.

Dr. Israel joined Academic Search in 2014 after facilitating searches and placements for the Registry of College and University Presidents. He is the former president of the University of Indianapolis and Morningside College and a veteran higher education leader with a wide array of expertise.

Dr. Stewart spent more than 40 years serving The Ohio State University in a variety of leadership positions and retired in 2010 as the special assistant to the president for diversity and vice provost. He joined Academic Search that same year and will serve the WSU search from Columbus, OH.

This past spring, Kansas State University retained the services of Academic Search to lead the search for its next president. Senior consultants John Hicks and Dr. Ann Die Hasselmo are currently leading the assignment.

Contributed by Dale M. Zupsansky, Managing Editor, Hunt Scanlon Media

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