Storbeck Search/Diversified Search Group Tapped to Lead President Hunt for the University of Colorado
November 30, 2021 – Higher education-focused search firm Storbeck Search, part of the Diversified Search Group, has been chosen by the University of Colorado to lead in its hunt for a new president. Mark Kennedy announced in May that he was leaving after two years of leading the university. The board of regents engaged Storbeck Search after a competitive RFP process that attracted more than a dozen national firms. The firm is led by Shelly Weiss Storbeck, who has conducted more than 500 searches for public and private universities, liberal arts colleges, independent schools, and non-profit organizations during her career.
“This move us into the next phase of the presidential search and position the university for a successful search,” said regent Lesley Smith, who is heading the school’s search committee. “The board is committed to creating an inclusive process that will attract the best talent and deliver the next president who will lead our university forward. We are ready and eager to get to work.” The regents will next meet on Dec. 8, when they are expected to finalize the position description and the search committee’s charge. In January, the search committee will begin meeting regularly with Storbeck Search to begin the active search.
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“The board has spent many hours over the past few months listening to our stakeholders from across Colorado,” board chairman Jack Kroll said. “All of us share a commitment to finding the best president for the University of Colorado. Ultimately, when the board makes its decision, it will be greatly influenced by the input we have received.”
Storbeck’s application included sections addressing diversity, equity and inclusion in presidential searches. “We share our clients’ belief that finding new leaders from groups that have historically been excluded is crucial to advancing society’s educational needs. In every search we lead, we commit to working proactively and energetically to recruit an excellent and diverse pool of candidates,” the firm said.
Related: Academic Sector Pumping Big Fees Into Search Firms
Storbeck also highlighted its experience in confidential searches. “Our experience has shown that the strongest candidate pools are developed when a confidential process is employed. Nevertheless, our goal will be to identify a process that is well suited to the University of Colorado’s mandate and community,” the firm said.
“In the event that a search must be conducted ‘in the sunshine,’ we have successfully navigated such requirements with processes that are inclusive and transparent,” the firm added.
The University of Colorado is a premier public research university with campuses in Boulder, Colorado Springs and Denver as well as its Anschutz Medical Campus. With more than 66,000 students (and another 7,000 taking courses for credit) and over 7,200 full-time instructional faculty members, it is the largest institution of higher education in Colorado. With an annual budget of $4.5 billion, the school generates an economic impact of $12.35 billion annually for the state.
Higher Education Recruiting
Ms. Weiss Storbeck launched Storbeck Search in 2007 to focus on executive search in the education and non-profit sectors. Now part of The Diversified Search Group, the firm works on behalf of colleges, universities, schools, and non-profit organizations across the nation, with headquarters in Pennsylvania and local offices in every region. Storbeck Search has conducted searches for some of the country’s top colleges and universities, private schools, and non-profit institutions. Its roster of university clients includes Brown, Columbia, Haverford, Johns Hopkins, Lawrenceville, Michigan State, Northwestern, Pomona, Princeton, Swarthmore and the University of Wisconsin, among others.
Related: Storbeck Search Leads CHRO Search for University of Rochester
Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief; Dale M. Zupsansky, Managing Editor; and Stephen Sawicki, Managing Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media
