The committee in charge of finding the best person to be the next president of the UO is committed to being as transparent as possible but needs to keep names confidential to ensure best possible pool of candidates, search committee Chair Connie Ballmer writes in an op-ed article in The Register-Guard.

Ballmer discusses the need for confidentiality as well as the committee’s promise to keep the selection process transparent and provide ongoing updates throughout the search. The article was signed by all 14 members of the search committee: Ballmer, of the UO Board of Trustees; Barbara Altmann, UO vice provost for academic affairs; Peter Bragdon, vice president for legal and corporate affairs, Columbia Sportswear; Rudy Chapa, UO Board of Trustees; Bill Cresko, UO biology professor and director of the Institute of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology; Joe Gonyea III, partner and CEO of Timber Products Co.; Mariann Hyland, director of diversity and inclusion for the Oregon State Bar; Leslie Leve, UO professor of family and human services; Chris Maples, president of the Oregon Institute of Technology; Jamie Moffitt, UO vice president for finance and administration; Michael Moffitt, dean of the UO School of Law; Joe Robertson, president of the Oregon Health & Science University; and Paul Weinhold, president and CEO of the UO Foundation.

To read the full article, see “Confidentiality vital in UO president search.” The article appeared in the newspaper’s Sunday, Feb. 8, edition.

Ballmer and the president of Parker Executive Search are slated to update the University Senate on the status of the search late Wednesday, Feb. 11, during the Senate’s regularly scheduled meeting. Earlier in the day, there will be an opportunity for a similar update for members of the campus community who may not be able to attend the afternoon meeting.

The campus forum will be held at 9 a.m. in the Lewis Lounge at the Knight Law Center. The Senate meeting begins at 3 p.m. in Room 115, Lawrence Hall.