Current Wittenberg President Mike Frandsen will be leaving at the end of his term on June 30, after serving eight years.
Airport interviews are when an institution brings candidates into a location, most often a hotel, that’s near an airport so they can fly in, meet with the committee, and fly back easily if needed, according to university officials.
The committee will not be sharing any more details about this stage in the interview process, the private university said, “out of respect for (the candidates') privacy.”
Credit: Bill Lackey
Credit: Bill Lackey
After the airport interviews, the committee plans to narrow the pool down to a handful of candidates for in-person interviews and engagement opportunities in the spring.
The Presidential Search Committee, which is led by chair Doug Kentfield and vice chair John M. Shumate, includes 13 other people who represent the Board of Directors, faculty, staff, students and alumni. They are also working with a search consultant, DSG I Storbeck.
The firm spoke with community members to identify key characteristics they should consider in the next president through on-campus visits, listening sessions and a survey.
The survey resulted in 565 responses from the community, in which the firm “gained considerable clarity around the priorities for and the desired qualities and experiences of the next president,” the committee said.
Committee officials said the listening sessions and survey were a critical component in preparing the Presidential Search Profile, which is being used for potential candidates on the position.
The university was recently given a “financial distress” designation by the Higher Learning Commission at the end of February after the U.S. Department of Education’s Federal Student Aid office “raised substantial doubt about the institution’s ability to continue as a going concern.”
Last August, Wittenberg University’s board of directors approved a plan that would eliminate the jobs of 30 faculty and 45 staff. In September, university leaders announced that the reductions would actually impact about 40 people — the jobs of 24 full-time equivalent faculty and 45 full-time equivalent staff members were being eliminated, but some employees were being assigned to open positions.
The university recorded a $17 million deficit in the 2022-23 school year, according to its tax records. They spent about $96 million that year, and about $26 million was spent on salaries and benefits for staff. The Board of Directors has said it plans to fully eliminate its forecasted financial operating losses by fiscal year 2027.
For more information and updates on the presidential search, visit www.wittenberg.edu/presidential-search.
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