The University of Oregon Board of Trustees voted unanimously at its meeting Friday to formalize and officially launch the search for the university’s successor to former President Michael Schill, authorizing the formation of a 22-member presidential search committee that will guide the effort.

“The task ahead of us represents one of our most important responsibilities as trustees,” UO board Chair Ginevra Ralph said. “Michael Schill was the first permanent president selected by the UO’s new board of trustees, and we look forward to building on the strength and momentum we established together.”

Ralph named trustees Connie Seeley to chair and Renee Evans Jackman to vice chair the search committee, other members of which will be announced soon.

“The committee will recommend and work with a search firm to recruit the strongest and most diverse pool of candidates possible,” Ralph added.

The 22-member committee is intended to represent the breadth of UO stakeholders on campus and beyond.

“We want to fully engage the campus community on what they want to see in their next president,” Seeley said. “We will announce the committee members next week as we work to ensure they represent a wide range of voices from all parts of campus, its constituent groups and the greater UO community.”

An extensive process of campus and public engagement will occur this fall to ensure the UO community has input into the search process.

To ensure the highest caliber of candidates and the most diverse pool, the search will be confidential. Ralph said a confidential search will help the university recruit from the broadest and best pool, encouraging additional candidates to candidly explore the UO.

“The decision on who will be the university’s next president will affect all constituency groups of the university, including faculty, staff, students, alumni, the community and the state of Oregon,” Evans Jackman said. “As trustees we are dedicated to ensuring the university finds a leader to continue to take the institution to new heights.”

To provide additional information and updates about the process, the board of trustees website includes a web page dedicated to the search for president.