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Board of Trustees approves presidential search, advisory committees

For Immediate Release Oct 2, 2020

EDITOR’S NOTE: This release was updated on Dec. 15, 2020, after search committee roles were revised.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – The Indiana University Board of Trustees approved two committees during its Oct. 2 meeting that will conduct and advise the search for President Michael A. McRobbie’s successor. McRobbie will continue to lead the university through the current academic year, then will retire in June 2021.

A presidential search advisory committee will gather input to help guide the search committee.Photo by Chris Meyer, Indiana University

The presidential search committee is charged with conducting a nationwide search for IU’s next president. Trustee Melanie Walker will serve as chair. The committee also includes:

  • Rachel Aranyi, student body president, IU Student Government, Bloomington.
  • Sarah Booher, chief of staff, IU Office of the Executive Vice President for University Academic Affairs.
  • W. Quinn Buckner, IU trustee.
  • Molly Connor, IU trustee.
  • Kathryn Ernstberger, professor of business administration, School of Business, Indiana University Southeast.
  • Harry L. Gonso, IU trustee.
  • Lacy Johnson, partner, Ice Miller LLP Indianapolis.
  • Ryan Kitchell, national board member, Cancer Treatment Centers of America; former executive vice president and chief financial officer, Indiana University Health.
  • Nir Menachemi, Fairbanks Endowed Chair, professor and Department of Health Policy and Management chair, Richard M. Fairbanks School of Public Health, IUPUI.
  • Charlie Nelms, consultant in higher education and former chancellor of universities in North Carolina and Michigan and at Indiana University.
  • Robin Newhouse, dean and Distinguished Professor, Science of Nursing Care, IU School of Nursing, IUPUI.
  • Jeff Richardson, distinguished alumnus, Indiana University Bloomington; retired health executive.
  • Susan Sciame-Giesecke, chancellor, Indiana University Kokomo.
  • Marietta Simpson, Distinguished Rudy Professor of Music (Voice), IU Jacobs School of Music.
  • Randall Tobias, former ambassador, United States Director of Foreign Assistance and administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Assistance, and former chair and CEO of Eli Lilly and Co.
  • Rick Van Kooten, executive dean and professor of physics, IU Bloomington College of Arts and Sciences.
  • Deborah Lemon, secretary, IU Board of Trustees; member ex-officio.

The search committee will screen candidates, and it is asked to prioritize seeking women and minority applicants. It will recommend three to five finalists in early 2021; then the board will conduct the remainder of the confidential search process and make the final appointment.

“The board is seeking a leader whose innovative ideas and bold vision for IU build upon President McRobbie’s accomplishments,” Walker said. “We are confident IU’s reputation as a leading public research institution with world-class faculty, expert staff and exceptional students will attract outstanding candidates.”

A presidential search advisory committee will gather input from internal and external stakeholders to guide the search committee. It will solicit feedback through small group meetings and town hall sessions.

“This search comes at a crucial time, as higher education institutions deal with the challenges of the coronavirus pandemic,” Mirro said. “The advisory committee will play a vital role in helping the search committee select a leader to take IU into her third century.”

The advisory committee will present a report summarizing constituent feedback by Nov. 13. Trustees MaryEllen Bishop, Donna Spears and Jim Morris will serve as co-chairs. The advisory committee also includes:

  • Michael Barlow, former chair, IU Alumni Association.
  • Dennis Bland, president and CEO, Center for Leadership Development.
  • Kay R. Booth, vice chair, IU Foundation Board.
  • Camy Broeker, vice chancellor for finance and administration, IUPUI.
  • Carolyn Calloway-Thomas, chair, Department of African American and African Diaspora Studies, IU Bloomington College of Arts and Sciences.
  • Dakota Coates, president, IU Bloomington Graduate and Professional Student Government; Maurer School of Law graduate student.
  • Victor Creed, undergraduate in political science, IU School of Liberal Arts, IUPUI.
  • Scott Dorsey, co-founder and managing partner, High Alpha.
  • Lee Feinstein, founding dean, IU Hamilton Lugar School of Global and International Studies.
  • Nathan J. Feltman, owner, IBJ Media.
  • Tatiana Foroud, executive associate dean for research affairs, executive vice president of academic affairs for Clinical Research, IU Health; Department of Medical and Molecular Genetics chair, August M. Watanabe Professor for Medical Research, Joe C. Christian Professor of Medical and Molecular Genetics, Distinguished Professor, Chancellor’s Professor, adjunct professor of psychiatry, and division chief, IU School of Medicine.
  • Fred Glass, former IU vice president and director for intercollegiate athletics.
  • Kirsten Grønbjerg, Distinguished Professor, Paul H. O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs, Bloomington; Efroymson Chair in Philanthropy (2001-20), Lilly Family School of Philanthropy, IUPUI; adjunct professor, Department of Sociology, IUPUI.
  • Jay Hess, executive vice president for university clinical affairs; dean of the IU School of Medicine; Walter J. Daly Professor, Indiana University.
  • Steven Hollar, president-elect, Indiana Dental Association.
  • Jerry Hinnefeld, Chancellor’s Professor of Physics and Astronomy, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Indiana University South Bend.
  • Idalene “Idie” Kesner, dean of the Kelley School of Business; professor and Frank P. Popoff Chair of Strategic Management, Kelley School at IU Bloomington.
  • Patty Martin, president and CEO, BioCrossroads.
  • Una Osili, associate dean for research and international programs; professor of economics and philanthropic studies; Dean’s Fellow, Mays Family Institute on Diverse Philanthropy, Lilly Family School of Philanthropy, IUPUI.
  • Ronald Remak, president and owner, Bill C. Brown Associates.
  • Curt Simic, president emeritus, IU Foundation.
  • Rebecca Spang, director, Liberal Arts and Management Program; director, Center for Eighteenth-Century Studies; professor, Department of History, College of Arts and Sciences, IU Bloomington.
  • Jeff X. Watt, M.L. Bittinger Chair of Mathematics Education; chair and professor, Department of Mathematical Sciences, Purdue School of Science, IUPUI.

“Faculty, staff, alumni and the public play an important role in identifying IU’s next leader,” Bishop said. “The advisory committee’s goal is to ensure everyone has a voice in the process.”

IU has also retained R. William Funk and Associates to assist in the search. Funk and Associates has conducted more than 400 searches for university presidents and chancellors.

The board’s intent is to have a new leader in place when McRobbie leaves office. Updates about the search will be posted on the trustees website.

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