Charge to the Search and Selection Committee

The Search and Selection Committee (SSC) is charged with recommending to the Board of Trustees -- with a proposed target date of no later than March 2013 -- an unranked list of three to five individuals who, in the SSC’s judgment, are well qualified to be the tenth president of Winthrop University. The SSC is asked to base its recommendations upon the leadership criteria adopted by the Board of Trustees, as well as upon the Trustees' established policies with respect to equal opportunity and affirmative action. The Board of Trustees retains the right and responsibility of making the final selection and appointment.

The SSC is asked to conduct its work with careful attention to, and seeking significant input from, Winthrop’s key constituencies, giving each constituency opportunity early in the search process to offer views on qualities to seek in candidates, to nominate specific individuals as well as the opportunity to interview finalists.

The work of the SSC will be guided by the Institutional Profile Statement which reflects Winthrop’s Vision of Distinction, Mission Statement, Nature and Character Statement, and Statement of Values as well as by the Position Specification Statement which describes the leadership qualities and characteristics desired in the tenth President of Winthrop University. All of these materials will guide the search and selection process and will be shared with prospective and actual candidates, prospective sources of nominations, and the broader Winthrop community.

With the support of an external consultant, the SSC will conduct a national search assuring compliance with all applicable state and university policies and procedures, in particular policies related to equal opportunity and affirmative action; will actively participate in the process of recruiting nominations and applications from diverse backgrounds, including women and underrepresented groups; and will evaluate and interview candidates thereby determining those to be invited to meet with campus constituencies.

The SSC will conduct a search with a process that is transparent, but with the understanding that the identities of those applying or nominated for the position must be kept strictly confidential. Throughout the process, and forever after, the SSC and its staff will commit to complete confidentiality with respect to the names of candidates; the nature, content, and documents of the committee's deliberations; and details pertaining to the selection. Only the SSC chair and Board chair are authorized to comment on the progress of the search.

The Board recognizes the desirability of keeping all constituencies informed of the progress of the search and, accordingly, asks the Committee's chair to report periodically to the Winthrop community, providing as much information as possible consistent with the requirements of confidentiality. To this end, and also to provide a mechanism for suggestions from stakeholders, the SSC will establish and maintain a public web site devoted to the search.