Presidential Search Committee and Listening Sessions Announcement
04/01/2024
Dear members of the SLU community,
We write today to provide you with important updates on our search for Saint Louis University’s next president. This is the first of several community updates you will receive as the search proceeds. We understand the significance of this search, and your input at this stage in the process is critical to the steps that will follow. Please review this message to learn how you can provide essential input to the search committee.
Convening the search committee
We are pleased to announce the names of the Presidential Search Committee members. This 13-member group, carefully selected to represent the SLU community and reflect the spirit and mission of our great University, includes members of the Society of Jesus, board members, faculty, staff and a student. The constitution of this committee is the first major step in the search process. We have full confidence in the committee we've assembled, trusting in their discernment and dedication to guide the selection of SLU's 34th president.
The Presidential Search Committee members are:
- Joseph Conran (’67, ’70), Board of Trustees, Chair
(Committee Chair) - Marian V. “Bo” Mehan (’74, ’82), Board of Trustees, Vice Chair
- Eric Engler, Board of Trustees, Chair-elect
- Akberet Boykin-Farr (’93, ’95, ’02), Board of Trustees
- Ed Ignaczak, Board of Trustees
- Darryl Jones (’77), Board of Trustees
- Tim Lannon, S.J., Board of Trustees and member of the Society of Jesus
- Christine Rollins, J.D. (’96), Professor, Director of Legal Analysis, Research and Communication, and SLU Faculty Senate President
- Kira Banks, Ph.D., Professor of Psychology
- T. Scott Isbell, Ph.D., Professor of Pathology and Director of the Division of Laboratory Medicine and the Clinical Core Laboratory
- Michael Rozier, S.J. (’03), Associate Professor and Department Chair of Health Management and Policy and member of the Society of Jesus
- Victoria Villarreal (’86, ’88), Interim Co-Director and Director of Finance and Operations for SLU-Madrid
- Reueline Arulanandam, Incoming Student Government Association President
Gathering SLU community feedback
The Presidential Search Committee, supported by search firm WittKieffer, is committed to recruiting a diverse pool of candidates who are dedicated to SLU’s mission and prepared to lead the University into its next chapter.
Your input is crucial to shaping the leadership profile that will be used to recruit talented candidates and guide the search committee’s discernment process. To hear your essential insights, WittKieffer and members of the search committee will hold both in-person and virtual listening sessions for the entire SLU community. A schedule of upcoming sessions can be found on the Presidential Search website.
If you are unable to attend a listening session, please provide your feedback using this confidential survey submission.
The Presidential Search website has been updated with the above information, along with a timeline of the search process. As we move forward with the process, the Presidential Search Committee will keep you informed on the latest developments with email messages that are also archived on the site.
On behalf of this committee, we extend our heartfelt gratitude for your participation and support as we embark on this profound endeavor for Saint Louis University.
Sincerely,
Joseph Conran, ’67 ’70
Presidential Search Committee Chair
Chair of the Board of Trustees