Announcements
Posted: Thursday, April 2, 2009Message from Howard Zemsky, Chair of the Presidential Search Committee Part 2
I thought I would include the Q & A I had with the Buffalo News, since most of it did not make it into the paper, as is so often the case:
Q. What happens next? Will an interim president be appointed?
A. We have a strong team at Buffalo State College. You can imagine that after 13 years of stable quality leadership, that would be the case. We are going to move thoughtfully but expeditiously. We expect you can measure in weeks and not months the amount of time it will take us to announce an interim president.
Q. Who would be on the search committee?
A. The college community for us includes students, faculty, staff, administration, foundation board, Alumni Association, and College Council. I expect they would all have at least one representative, and in some cases more than that, on the search committee. Additionally, we will work collaboratively with the SUNY Board of Trustees and, of course, the new chancellor, Nancy Zimpher.
Q. Don’t you technically have to recommend a candidate to SUNY trustees for approval?
A. Yes, my understanding is that the search committee makes recommendations to the College Council, which in turn makes recommendations to the SUNY Board of Trustees. We will all be in regular communication throughout the process, working collaboratively, so I wouldn’t expect any surprises along the chain of command, so to speak.
This letter is getting lengthy, but I believe it’s an important beginning to communications. We need you to be informed and engaged throughout this process. Buffalo State College depends on all of our many vital constituencies for our success and for our future. If we have a collaborative, considered, participatory process without surprises, we will be successful in attracting top talent. The quality of our search process will say a lot about our college and our leadership. Top talent will be able to assess our professionalism and our inclusiveness in short order, and they will be drawn to a professional process.
If you are reading this as a student, I want to say that in my opinion, Buffalo State College, and everyone I have met during my years of involvement here, is focused on the student experience, on the quality of our education, and on the important life experience our college provides. You, the students, are without question the top priority for everyone concerned and involved.
Howard Zemsky
Vice Chairman, Buffalo State College Council
Q. What happens next? Will an interim president be appointed?
A. We have a strong team at Buffalo State College. You can imagine that after 13 years of stable quality leadership, that would be the case. We are going to move thoughtfully but expeditiously. We expect you can measure in weeks and not months the amount of time it will take us to announce an interim president.
Q. Who would be on the search committee?
A. The college community for us includes students, faculty, staff, administration, foundation board, Alumni Association, and College Council. I expect they would all have at least one representative, and in some cases more than that, on the search committee. Additionally, we will work collaboratively with the SUNY Board of Trustees and, of course, the new chancellor, Nancy Zimpher.
Q. Don’t you technically have to recommend a candidate to SUNY trustees for approval?
A. Yes, my understanding is that the search committee makes recommendations to the College Council, which in turn makes recommendations to the SUNY Board of Trustees. We will all be in regular communication throughout the process, working collaboratively, so I wouldn’t expect any surprises along the chain of command, so to speak.
This letter is getting lengthy, but I believe it’s an important beginning to communications. We need you to be informed and engaged throughout this process. Buffalo State College depends on all of our many vital constituencies for our success and for our future. If we have a collaborative, considered, participatory process without surprises, we will be successful in attracting top talent. The quality of our search process will say a lot about our college and our leadership. Top talent will be able to assess our professionalism and our inclusiveness in short order, and they will be drawn to a professional process.
If you are reading this as a student, I want to say that in my opinion, Buffalo State College, and everyone I have met during my years of involvement here, is focused on the student experience, on the quality of our education, and on the important life experience our college provides. You, the students, are without question the top priority for everyone concerned and involved.
Howard Zemsky
Vice Chairman, Buffalo State College Council
