UofM Presidential Search Advisory Committee Named; First Meeting, Open Forum Scheduled Dec. 4

The Search Advisory Committee members for a new president of the University of Memphis have been selected and will meet for the first time in December following a public forum on the UofM campus about the search process.

The advisory committee will meet at 12:45 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 4, on the UofM campus in the University Center Bluff Room. Campus and community members are also invited to an open forum to discuss the criteria and search process for the new president from 11 a.m. – noon in the University Center River Room.

The search committee’s charge is to identify three to five finalists for the position of president who will visit the campus for interviews. Tennessee Board of Regents Chancellor John Morgan will then consult with members of the committee and make a final selection for submission to the TBR for approval.

Former UofM President Shirley Raines retired at the end of June, and R. Brad Martin, a member of the university’s Board of Visitors and retired chairman and CEO of Saks Incorporated, has served as interim president since July 1. Martin has stated he will not be a candidate for the permanent position.

“We are fortunate to have such an outstanding group of leaders who have agreed to serve in this important role. I am confident they will find the right person to serve as our next president,” said Martin.

The committee will work with executive search firm Greenwood/Asher & Associates to help identify a broad range of highly qualified candidates from around the country. One of the committee’s first tasks at the meeting will be to decide on the criteria, schedule and process for identifying the finalists. Initial screenings of applicants is expected to begin in February.

The committee will be chaired by Greg Duckett, senior vice president and corporate counsel with Baptist Memorial Health Care System, a graduate of Memphis State University School of Law, and a member of the Tennessee Board of Regents.

“I am honored to chair this distinguished group through this important search,” Duckett said. “A successful University of Memphis is critical to the growth of the Memphis community, to the economic development of our state and to the global pursuit of knowledge, research and scholarship. I look forward to finding the right individual to lead this great institution.”

The committee members are as follows:

Mr. Greg Duckett, Chair

TBR BOARD MEMBER

Memphis, TN

Mr. John Farris

TBR BOARD MEMBER

Memphis, TN

Ms. Ashley Humphrey

TBR STUDENT REGENT

Tennessee Tech University

Cookeville, TN

Ms. Anise Belz

UofM BOARD OF VISITORS REPRESENTATIVE/COMMUNITY REPRESENTATIVE

Memphis, TN

Mr. Willie Gregory

UofM BOARD OF VISITORS REPRESENTATIVE/COMMUNITY REPRESENTATIVE

Director of Operations & Employee Community Investments

Nike Incorporated

Lakeland, TN

Mr. George Johnson

UofM BOARD OF VISITORS REPRESENTATIVE/COMMUNITY REPRESENTATIVE

President

BJB Administrative Services LLC

Cordova, TN

Mr. Tom Kadien

UofM BOARD OF VISITORS REPRESENTATIVE/COMMUNITY REPRESENTATIVE

Senior Vice President

International Paper

Memphis, TN

Mr. Tom Watson

UofM BOARD OF VISITORS REPRESENTATIVE/COMMUNITY REPRESENTATIVE

Co-Chairman, Armstrong Relocation

Memphis, TN

Mr. Kem Wilson

UofM BOARD OF VISITORS REPRESENTATIVE/COMMUNITY REPRESENTATIVE

Kemmons Wilson Companies

Memphis, TN

Ms. Diane Rudner

COMMUNITY REPRESENTATIVE

Chairman of the Board

Plough Foundation

Memphis, TN

Ms. Teresa Sloyan

COMMUNITY REPRESENTATIVE

Executive Director

Hyde Family Foundations

Memphis, TN

Ms. Marilynn Robinson

COMMUNITY REPRESENTATIVE

Senior Vice President

Saint Francis Healthcare

Memphis, TN

Mr. Alan Graf

BUSINESS COMMUNITY REPRESENTATIVE

Executive Vice President & CFO

FedEx Corporation

Memphis, TN

Ms. Anita Vaughn

ALUMNI REPRESENTATIVE

President, National Alumni Association

Chief Executive Officer

Baptist Memorial Hospital for Women

Memphis, TN

Dr. Gladius Lewis

FACULTY REPRESENTATIVE

Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering

University of Memphis

Memphis, TN

Dr. Richard “Dick” D. Evans

FACULTY REPRESENTATIVE

President of Faculty Senate

Professor, Department of Finance, Insurance

and Real Estate

University of Memphis

Memphis, TN

Dr. Beverly Cross - (added Nov. 22, 2013)

FACULTY REPRESENTATIVE

Holder of Chair of Excellence

College of Education, Health and Human Sciences

University of Memphis

Memphis, TN

Dr. Leroy Dorsey

FACULTY REPRESENTATIVE

Professor and Department Chair

Department of Communication

University of Memphis

Memphis, TN

Mr. Peter V. Letsou

ADMINISTRATIVE REPRESENTATIVE

Dean and Professor of Law

Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law

University of Memphis

Memphis, TN

Dr. Dan Lattimore

ADMINISTRATIVE REPRESENTATIVE

Vice Provost for Extended Programs

& Dean of University College

University of Memphis Lambuth Campus

Jackson, TN

Mr. Hugh Busby

STAFF REPRESENTATIVE

President of Staff Senate

University of Memphis

Memphis, TN

Ms. Joanna Curtis - (added Nov. 22, 2013)

STAFF REPRESENTATIVE

Director of Major Gifts

University of Memphis

Memphis, TN

Mr. Ricky Kirby

STUDENT REPRESENTATIVE

President of SGA

University of Memphis

Memphis, TN

Ms. Holly Stanford

STUDENT REPRESENTATIVE

University of Memphis

Memphis, TN

Several members of the UofM Board of Visitors are included on the committee, including C. Kemmons Wilson Jr., who remarked, “I realize the significant impact this decision will have on this university and our entire city. A decision of this magnitude will ripple far into the future. Therefore, it is paramount to find the perfect leader who will take the University of Memphis to even greater heights.”

“After 12 years of terrific leadership by Shirley Raines and most recently Brad Martin, it is time to select the next president of the university to lead us forward in the future,” added Tom Kadien, senior vice president at International Paper. “With the strong faculty and staff that we have, and the important role that the university has educating tomorrow's leaders here in western Tennessee, I'm sure we will be able to attract outstanding candidates. I am happy to serve the University of Memphis.”

The Tennessee Board of Regents is among the nation’s largest higher education systems, governing 46 post-secondary educational institutions. The TBR system includes six universities (including the University of Memphis), 13 two-year colleges and 27 colleges of applied technology, providing programs across the state to more than 200,000 students.