June 29, 2010
To: UT System-wide Faculty and Staff
From: Interim President Jan Simek
Re: Presidential Search
The process of finding the next president of the University of Tennessee has formally begun. On Thursday, June 24 both the Presidential Search Committee and a Search Advisory Council were named. On Monday, June 28 the groups met jointly in Knoxville, with remote participants joining via conference call and webcast.
Particulars of the search process and timeline were discussed, and a special website for presenting and archiving search-related information was demonstrated.
The Search Committee, chaired by Board of Trustees Vice Chair Jim Murphy, is responsible for executing the search process, culminating in the recommendation of finalists for the Board to consider.
The Search Advisory Council, chaired by Trustee Spruell Driver, serves to provide feedback and comments throughout the process, both on Advisory Council members’ own behalf and on behalf of constituencies they represent.
You will find a link to the Presidential Search website, where Monday’s meeting webcast is archived for viewing at your convenience, at www.tennessee.edu. At this site, all future meeting webcasts can be watched live, as they happen, and will be archived.
An inclusive, transparent search is important to the process, and I encourage you to visit the Presidential Search Site to monitor our progress. There you will find a link especially for relaying your comments, questions, suggestions or feedback about the search process.
You also are welcome to use the “UTalk” link at www.tennessee.edu to email comments, questions or suggestions to me.
