Steps forward for NMU president search

Northern Michigan University is searching for a new president, and the search has just taken two steps forward.

The Board of Trustees has been looking recently to hire an executive search firm.

At its meeting this morning, the board voted to use the Illinois-based firm of Witt/Kieffer. It specializes in health care, nonprofit and education executive searches.

“We’ve basically said our end goal is end of April (to complete the search and interview process) so that by May, we make an announcement of who we would like to recommend, or select as president,” NMU Board of Trustees chair Dr. Garnet Lewis said. “That leaves the timeline pretty flexible from now ’til then.”

Witt/Kieffer will develop a job description within the next few weeks.

The trustees also voted to create a presidential search advisory committee. The group will recommend to the NMU board which candidates would be the most qualified.

“We have a great group of search committee members, and the search firm we selected, and I’m confident that we’ll stick to the timeline and find the best person for the university,” NMU Presidential Search Advisory Committee chair Dr. Sook Wilkinson said.

Three NMU board members, including Wilkinson, are part of the advisory committee. They’re joined by several alumni, a current student and a wide range of school employees.

David Haynes’s term as interim president is due to expire on June 30th of next year. He took the position with the understanding that once his term expires, he’d spend a year on a paid sabbatical before returning to the NMU faculty.