Trustees to select search firm Friday

The IU board of trustees will interview search firms at its meeting Friday at IU-Purdue University Indianapolis, when they hope to be able to select the firm they will use to find IU's next president. \nThe board will be meeting with the principles of AT Kearney, Academic Search Consultation Services and Witt/Kieffer, the final three firms the trustees chose from a pool of seven proposals, said IU trustee and presidential search committee chairwoman Sue Talbot. The trustees will then determine which firm will be the best fit for IU.\n"We're looking for strength in commitment," Tabolt said. "For them to be with us for the length of time we need them to be, to put us as a priority because a presidential search is very important. We're also looking at other successful searches that they have performed -- some history on their performance rate. We will determine by talking to them whether or not they have in-depth experience working with a multitude of institutions the size of ours, and that's pretty important."\nTalbot said the board "certainly plans" to stay within the $100,000 budgeted to hire a search firm and, despite the cost, she said there are still significant advantages to hiring a firm to help out. For example, she said, search firms know more about potential candidates, even if they do not submit dossiers for the position.\n"One case of that is (Purdue University President) Martin Jischke," she said. "He didn't apply to be president at Purdue, but ... it turned out be an excellent fit. You have to know the players and we're not necessarily in that field, the people who have come together in this committee."\nAnother concern is IU's shaky history using search firms in the past. The University used Baker Parker, an Atlanta-based search firm, in its failed attempt to find a chancellor. But Talbot said the committees and trustees will not leave the responsibility of finding IU's next president solely to the firm they choose. She said that a key to success is working hard -- and cooperatively -- with the firm.\n"We don't just hand it to them and say, 'go find somebody,'" she said. "We're working with them very hard the entire time."\nTalbot said the board is looking forward to interviewing the three firms because she thinks there will be lots of good conversation and interest.\n"IU is an incredible institution," she said. "We'll hire the top search firm that wants to be involved with us"