Saving Time AND Money

This morning’s Rocky Mountain News reports that candidate searches for university presidents not only often take many months but can also cost a pretty penny:

It took seven months and $142,000 to hire a new president last year at the University of Nebraska, a Big 12 school like the University of Colorado.

Other public universities spent more in their presidential searches. In the last year, the University at Buffalo in New York spent $219,824 and the University of Iowa $177,204. The University of Michigan spent $334,600 in 2002 to find a top executive.

But the Rocky Mountain Alliance is already doing its part to screen potential candidates. A streamlined search process could save officials time and the state’s taxpayers money.

As far as getting a jump on the competition, it appears that Hugh may already have his grassroots operatives working the system:

CU Regent Pat Hayes said Tuesday that candidates are already lining up. On Monday, she found four e-mails touting someone for the job. [emphasis mine]

Too bad Hugh is out of town for the next few days. I can almost hear him launching off a whole segment with: “Four e-mails? You guys have only sent four e-mails for me? She must be underreporting….” Our current candidates – Hugh and King Banaian of SCSU Scholars – don’t mind the limelight in their quest for the CU presidency. We expect the same sort of appreciation for publicity from any others who submit their names to us for endorsement consideration as well.

A common argument against an open search is that high level academics are fearful of being exposed as potential presidential candidates because the publicity could discredit them at their present jobs.

James Hearn is a Vanderbilt University professor and co-author of Governing in the Sunshine: Open Meetings, Open Records, and Effective Governance in Higher Education released in 2004. He said he understands the argument.

But, considering CU’s present circumstance, Hearn said the four-campus CU system should use a search process “that would be very, very open.”

“The people of the state really deserve to have that confidence and trust,” Hearn said.

The RMA will do its part to help uphold that confidence and trust.