Franklin College has hired a search firm in hopes that it can select its new president early next year.
The school hired Isaacson, Miller, a national search firm based in Boston, to recruit the college’s next leader. Thomas Minar, the college’s 16th president, joined the school in 2015 and will leave his position at the end of June. The search committee, which consists of college trustees, alumni, faculty and staff, will work with the firm to create a leadership profile, including the job description and experience the college is looking for in its next president, said Jim Due, chairman of the Franklin College Board of Trustees.
“The first phase in the next few weeks will be the search firm meeting with multiple groups of constituents with the college, internal and external, and the purpose of that is to gain insight into people’s personal feelings about the college, where they’d like to see it go in the future and what they’d like to see in leadership in the future,” Due said. “We’ll utilize that to create and develop a leadership profile used in the recruitment process.”
Those constituents include Franklin College staff and students, friends of the college, donors, community leaders and regional leaders, Due said.
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The firm has sent two representatives of Isaacson, Miller to work on the search. The college chose the firm because of its extensive network and experience in searches for high-level employees, he said.
“They have a very expansive network and have done so many presidential searches around the country at all different levels,” Due said. “We felt they’re a strong strategic partner with a greater understanding of smaller, liberal arts colleges, but they also have a far reach in terms of candidate pools to tap into, with 300 searches per year at various levels.”
After developing a leadership profile, the college will open the application process and administrators hope to start interviews at the beginning of next year, although if a strong candidate pool quickly develops, those interviews could start before the end of the year, Due said.
There is no set date for when candidates can start applying, he said.
During the course of Minar’s time at Franklin College, the college transformed its curriculum with faculty-designed seminars, professional development and student-led research projects, renovated and expanded its Science Center and opened a Graduate Health Science Center, according to the news release.
“He’s an accomplished leader and has accomplished tremendous things during his time with the college,” Due said of Minar. “I thoroughly enjoyed working with him.”
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Timeline for naming the next Franklin College president
- October – November: Meet with Franklin College staff, students, donors and community leaders for input on what they want to see in the college’s future.
- Immediately after: establish a leadership profile with job description and experience requirements.
- Immediately after: Open the position to applicants.
- January: Interview candidates
- First quarter of 2020: Board of trustees votes on new president
- July 1: Next president’s first day in office
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