Wright State Board of Trustees announces members of presidential search committee

Earlier today, Michael Bridges, chair of the Wright State University Board of Trustees, announced members of the Search and Screening Advisory Committee who are charged with conducting a national search to find the seventh president of Wright State University.

“The board intends to conduct a comprehensive process that will produce a highly qualified successor to President Hopkins with the experience and insight to lead Wright State and build on its impressive history of achievement and success, particularly in the area of student success,” Bridges said when President David R. Hopkins announced his plans to retire when his contract expires June 30, 2017.

To accomplish that goal, an inclusive committee comprised of constituents representing the campus and the community has been identified.

Doug Fecher, vice chair of the Board of Trustees, will chair the committee and will be joined by fellow trustees Grace Ramos, Eloise Broner and C.D. Moore.

From the Wright State faculty, Faculty President Carol Loranger will serve along with Brian Boyd from the College of Education and Human Services, Latrelle Jackson from the School of Professional Psychology and Burhan Kawosa from the Raj Soin College of Business.

Staff members Dawn Banker, chair of the Classified Staff Advisory Council, and Misty Cox, chair of the Unclassified Staff Advisory Council, have agreed to serve on the committee.

Wright State students will be represented by Lukas Wenrick, Student Government president, and Jordan Large, an urban affairs major in the College of Liberal Arts.

Deb Downing, Alumni Association president, will represent Wright State’s more than 110,000 graduates, and John Lyman, chair of the Wright State University Foundation, will represent the University Foundation.

Jay Albayyari, dean of the Wright State University Lake Campus, and LaPearl Winfrey, dean of the School of Professional Psychology, represent the Council of Deans. Rebecca Cole, vice president for advancement, and Mary Ellen Ashley, vice president for enrollment management, represent the President’s Cabinet.

The Board of Trustees is pleased to announce that three community members from Raider Country have agreed to volunteer their time to help the board identify Hopkins’ successor: Mary Campbell-Zopf, executive director of the Muse Machine; Jeff Brock, president of the Greene Medical Foundation; and Debbie Feldman, president and CEO of Dayton Children’s.

The Wright State University Retirees Association will meet in early June to nominate its members for inclusion on the Search and Screening Advisory Committee.

“There is perhaps no more important job for a university than choosing its next leader,” said committee chair Fecher. “Our process must be thorough and complete. Our first task will be identifying presidential qualities required to serve Wright State University and the issues in higher education that will matter most in the coming decade. We look forward to this undertaking.”

Wright State University last conducted a national search for president in 1992, when Harley Flack became the university’s fourth president. A website will be launched to allow Wright State community members to remain up-to-date with the status of the search, which is expected to conclude by spring 2017.

“I would like to thank everyone who volunteered to serve on this important committee, and I especially would like to thank the many people who have agreed to work to find our seventh president,” Fecher said.