By Rena Ketelsen– Since President John Reynders’ announcement in the Spring of 2020 that he will retire, about 22 months have passed and the search for a new president is almost concluded.
Reynders had originally planned to retire from his position as the president of Morningside University this summer, but due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, he decided to stay longer. With him being set to leave the university on July 1, 2022, a replacement for him has to be found.
Dr. Greg Guelcher, professor of history and president of the Faculty Senate, explained that the process of finding a new president started months ago when a profile of the university was created. This profile was turned into a brochure which was available to all applicants.
The university hired a professional academic search firm, AGB Search, to manage the search. The firm provided guidance, produced materials to send to potential applicants, helped decide where to advertise, and actively recruited people that they saw as potentially good candidates.
Meanwhile, the university created a search committee on campus that had 16 members: a student representative, two staff representatives, three faculty representatives, a community member, and members of the Board of Directors. Guelcher was part of that committee as well.
Once the deadline for applications had closed, this search committee reviewed all applications and reduced them from over 60 applicants to 15 candidates and then to seven candidate semi-finalists. The committee had online interviews with those candidates and finally narrowed it down to three finalists.
Those finalists were invited on campus and held separate forums for students, faculty, staff, community members, and alumni during November. The overall response from each of the stakeholders has been very positive, according to Guelcher.
In the search committee’s final meeting, the three candidates were ranked, and the recommendation result was sent on to the whole Board of Directors. The board was set to meet on Wednesday, December 1, to make a formal choice.
However, a final decision will not be announced officially for another week or so after the decision was made, because negotiations will take place first. In those negotiations, things like the salary, duties, and benefits have to be decided, Guelcher explained.
With regards to what the university is looking for in a new president, Dave Madsen, professor of mass communication and member of the Faculty Senate, explained, “One of the biggest things that we have to do is say: We are replacing John Reynders, we are not looking for another John Reynders.”
Madsen also pointed out that it is very unique for students and faculty to be as involved in the search process for a new president, as is the case at Morningside. They have an actual voting membership on the Board of Directors which makes the final decision.
The students were represented by Garrett Arbuckle on the search committee. He is the student body president and a member of the Board of Directors. Arbuckle said that one of his roles was to share students’ concerns in meetings, so their voices were heard.
Overall, the feelings on campus about John Reynders’ retirement and the prospect of a new president seem to be mixed, according to Arbuckle.
As the representative for the student body, he explained, “Students are a little bit sad [about Reynders’ retirement], but they’re also excited at the potential for Morningside. They’re excited to see where Morningside can go in the future.”
Leave a Reply