Under state law, the OSU Board of Trustees is responsible for the selecting and appointing the university president. The search and selection process is guided by the Board-adopted Presidential Search and Selection Guidelines. ​​​​​​

Members of the committee were appointed by the Board Chair. The committee is made up of OSU trustees, faculty, students, administrators, staff and alumni, as well as representatives from higher education and the broader community. For more information about committee members, please visit: Presidential Search Committee.

The charge of the search committee may include: soliciting nominations and applications from a diverse group of well-qualified persons; screening applications; selecting and interviewing semifinalist candidates; and recommending a group of qualified finalists to the Board Chair. The search committee will ensure that confidentiality is strictly observed with respect to the identity of applicants and the committee’s internal deliberations. After independent review, the Board Chair will determine the finalist(s) to be provided the Board for consideration.

Oregon State University has retained the executive search firm Witt/Kieffer. The search firm will assist the Board in gathering input to create a presidential profile.  Once the presidential profile is approved by the Board, the firm will help the search committee identify potential candidates; reach out to those candidates to determine their interest; and conduct research and due diligence on candidates. The firm will play no role in deciding which candidates should move forward in the search process.

Selecting the next president is a critically important endeavor. The Board’s goal is to have the next president identified by spring 2020, but the Board has committed to take whatever time is required to find and appoint the best-qualified candidate for the position. The anticipated timeline is available here.

Regular updates will be posted to the Presidential Search page: https://leadership.oregonstate.edu/presidentialsearch. 

The Presidential Search Committee is tasked with managing and executing the process to identify candidates interested in serving as Oregon State University’s next president. The committee is not a governing body of the University or Board of Trustees. The committee will not select or appoint the next president. It will prepare a report regarding a group of qualified finalists for the Board Chair. The Board Chair will review the recommended finalists, make her own evaluation, and determine the finalist(s) to forward to the Board for consideration.

A confidential search provides candidates the greatest initial opportunity to candidly explore Oregon State University and helps the university recruit from the broadest pool of talented academic leaders, many of whom may hold key positions at other universities. The Board is committed to maintaining confidentiality of candidates given the potential professional jeopardy their candidacy could have on their current employment and the Board's desire to attract the best possible candidates. 

Any final decision by the Board of Trustees will be made in a public meeting, and all deliberations and discussions will be in accordance with Oregon’s public meeting laws.

Please feel free to email presidentialsearch@oregonstate.edu if you have additional questions.