White Paper on Criteria and Procedures

for Choosing a President for the University of Florida

The following document is divided into two parts. The first part deals with the criteria for choosing a president of the University of Florida. We used all eight criteria from the 1989 Faculty Drafting Group, some of the criteria established by the 1999 Presidential Search Advisory Committee plus some additional criteria that we felt were important.The second part of this document concerns the process by which a president is chosen, i.e. the searching, screening and attracting of a President to the University of Florida. These procedures are a modification of those used by previous search committtees. Please send your comments to Jane Brockmann by 31 March 2001 (HJB@zoology.ufl.edu).

Part 1. Criteria / Qualifications for the President of the University of Florida

1. The President should be an educator of national stature with demonstrated intellectual leadership and with internationally recognized research or scholarly achievements who will continue to advance the academic distinction of the University of Florida.

2. The President should have a strong commitment to faculty governance in all matters of academic standards, policies and rewards with faculty playing an integral role in all decisions that affect the academic environment of the University.

3. The President should have a strong commitment to academic freedom and to the right of all members of the university community to hold diverse viewpoints and to express those views openly.

4. The President should be willing to address effectively diversity issues, such as minority participation, at all levels in the University.

5. The President should have a commitment to excellence in teaching, research and service and a willingness to champion genuine innovation in all three areas.

6. The President should have the ability to articulate the University's mission, value and needs clearly and to communicate them persuasively to all of our external and internal constituencies.

7. The President should be committed to the goal of national prominence for the University of Florida. S/he should have the ability, fortitude and strategic vision to take the University to that highest level with demonstrated leadership and emphasis on an increase in quality.

8. The President should understand the University's role as a contributor to local, regional and statewide economic, environmental and cultural viability and recognize that the University is a partner with the community in which it is located.

9. The President should recognize and advocate the University's responsibility for defining and implementing its own intellectual and institutional goals and standards.

10. The President should show demonstrated experience in fund raising from public and private sources and a willingness to place that activity high on his/her agenda

Part 2. Procedures for Choosing the President of the University of Florida

At present the governance structure of public higher education in the State of Florida is in transition. In this document we assume that there will exist at the time of a UF Presidential search a duly authorized body vested with the authority to negotiate with candidates and to hire the University’s President. Here this body is referred to as the “Board.” This Board will appoint a Presidential Search Committee which will report its recommendations to that Board. The balance of this document addresses how this Search Committee will be constituted and the procedures by which it will operate.

1. A Search Committee shall be made up of representatives of the stakeholders (i.e. faculty, students, USPS, A&P, alumni) of the University (committee size not to exceed 25). At least 50% of this Committee shall consist of faculty representatives designated by the UF Faculty Senate.

2. The Search Committee, with input from faculty and other stakeholders, shall have responsibility for structuring and implementing the search process according to the substance and spirit of Part 1 of this document.

3. The Search Committee shall oversee all stages of the search process. They shall (a) participate in a meaningful way in the early stages of the search process including nominating and recruiting candidates, reviewing vitae and other documents from the candidates and in formulating a short list of candidates for interview. (b) The Committee shall conduct interviews in which all members of the Committee have an opportunity to discuss issues with candidates and ask substantive questions. (c) With all of the input in hand from stakeholders, the Committee and the Board shall meet to discuss and evaluate the candidates prior to the final decision. If the Committee or Board chooses to use a search consultant, the role of the consultant shall be advisory and shall not hinder the Committee's independent exercise of its responsibilities as described above.

4. The Search for a President shall include a mechanism by which meaningful, timely input is provided to the Committee from all stakeholders (e.g. faculty, staff, administration, students, alumni, community). This means that all stakeholders shall have opportunities to meet, examine the vitae and other application materials, ask questions and provide substantive evaluations of each candidate. The Committee and the Board shall make every effort to schedule interviews, receptions, etc. at times when stakeholders are available to participate.

-- Prepared by: Jane Brockmann and Jim Pettigrew (co-chairs), Richard Briggs, Phil Clark, Leilani Doty, Martin Eisenberg, Raymond Gay-Crosier , David Hickey, Samuel B. Trickey, Jonathan Earle, Ira Gessner, Pierre Ramond

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