Funk Associates Tapped by the University of St. Thomas to Lead President Search
January 30, 2025 – Funk Associates has been retained by the University of St. Thomas to lead a national search for a new president. The school is looking for a dynamic and proven leader. Richard L. Ludwick, who has served as president at the University of St. Thomas-Houston since July 1, 2017, will step down from that role on December 31, 2024 to become president emeritus. Fr. Dempsey Rosales Acosta has been named interim president effective January 1, 2025. “Richard has been a transformational leader whose passion for education and faith has elevated the University of St. Thomas to new heights,” the school said. “We have full confidence in Fr. Dempsey’s ability to inspire our community and continue to elevate UST during this transition.”
Reporting directly to the board of directors, the president serves as the chief executive officer of the university with responsibility and final authority for the ongoing and long-term operations of the University of St. Thomas. The president speaks for the university with respect to its policies, priorities, and official statements. in all aspects of the position, the president embodies the university’s mission, demonstrating ethical leadership, cultural competence, and community engagement.
Founded by the Basilian Fathers in 1947 and located in Houston, TX, the University of St. Thomas is the only Catholic university in the greater Houston area. The university, which is designated as both a Hispanic-serving and Asian-serving institution, enrolls more than 3,600 students, including 2,729 undergraduates and approximately 1,000 graduate students who come from 40 states and 50 countries.
Related: Funk Associates Leading Searches for College of Charleston and University of Houston
Funk Associates is an executive search firm specializing in higher education executive recruitment. The firm has recruited chancellors/presidents for two-thirds of all public AAU universities. The firm has also recruited presidents or chancellors to more than one-half of U.S. News & World Report’s recently published “Top 30 National Universities.” Over time, it has conducted more than 425 searches for college and university presidents and chancellors as well as an even greater number of provosts, deans, and various vice presidents. The firm’s sports division, headed by Willie Funk and Scott Thompson, specializes in searches for athletic directors and coaches.
Recruiting Women and Minorities
The firm has been recognized by the Women’s Network of the American Council on Education (ACE) for its work in recruiting women and minorities to senior levels of higher education. Notably, the search firm has broken the color and/or gender line in president searches at more than 40 institutions around the country, making in one of the most highly sought after search firms across the sector.
R. William “Bill” Funk, founder and president who co-led the search, is a widely respected search consultant serving higher education. He has been called the “guru of higher education recruiting” by The Chronicle of Higher Education and is listed as one of the 200 best executive recruiters in the world in The Global 200 Executive Recruiters: An Essential Guide to the Best Recruiters in the United States, Europe, Asia, and Latin America (Jossey-Bass, Inc.). Prior to founding his own firm 16 years ago, Mr. Funk was the national practice leader of the education practice and office managing director of the Dallas office for Korn Ferry International for more than a decade.
Funk Associates Initiates Podcast Series “Voices of Leadership”
Funk Associates announced the premier of its podcast series, “Voices of Leadership”. The podcasts are intended to showcase important leaders in higher education discussing contemporary topics. Dr. Gordon Gee, president of West Virginia University, will kick-off the series, with Dr. Michael Crow, president of Arizona State University, and Dr. Mung Chiang, president of Purdue University following consecutively at one week intervals. Additional thought-leaders will be scheduled going forward. Listeners are invited to tune into the series on the firm’s new website (www.funkassociates.com) or on the Spotify and Apple podcast platforms. The series is hosted by Bill and Willie Funk. In addition to the podcast series, the firm is announcing its new offering in the recruitment of intercollegiate coaches and athletic directors, and introducing a new website format.
Willie Funk, who co-led the search, has an extensive background recruiting a lengthy list of presidents, provosts and deans and has recently completed searches at Clemson University, University of California – Santa Cruz, University of South Carolina, TCU, Old Dominion University, College of Charleston, University of Kansas, and Radford University, among many others.
Past Assignment
After an exhaustive process, Funk Associates’ sports recruiting division recently assisted in the recruitment of Jeremiah Donati as the new athletic director for the University of South Carolina. “I am thrilled to welcome Jeremiah Donati to Gamecock Nation,” said Michael Amiridis, president of the University of South Carolina. “Jeremiah’s accomplishments at TCU—across athletics, NIL, and facilities—speak for themselves. His leadership will be invaluable as we continue to build on the successes of Gamecock Athletics and ensure that our student-athletes have the support and resources they need to compete at the highest level.”
Mr. Donati’s appointment is expected to provide a major boost to South Carolina’s athletic programs, particularly as the university continues to expand its efforts with the house settlement result, facilities upgrades, and recruiting. “With his forward-thinking leadership, the University of South Carolina is poised for continued success in the nation’s most competitive athletic conference,” the school said.
Related: Funk Associates Recruits Dean for the University of South Alabama College of Engineering
Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief and Dale M. Zupsansky, Executive Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media
