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Search Process

Under state law, the Board of Higher Education is charged with appointing new presidents for Utah’s public colleges and universities. The search for a new president can take up to 8-12 months to complete. The commissioner of higher education will create a comprehensive and active recruiting plan to ensure a strong, diverse pool of potential candidates. The process is as follows:

  1. The Board of Higher Education names a search committee, which is comprised of regents, trustees and institutional stakeholders, including faculty, staff, students, administration, alumni and community members. The committee is co-chaired by a regent and the chair of the Board of Trustees.
  2. The search committee convenes public constituent meetings to gather feedback from the community.
  3. The search committee then approves a position announcement and calls for nominations and applications, seeking to recruit qualified applicants nationally and internationally.
  4. The search committee screens candidate applications and conducts interviews.
  5. The search committee deliberates and forwards a list of three to five recommended finalists to the Board of Higher Education. Two-thirds of the search committee must be in agreement about forwarding a finalist’s name.
  6. The names of finalists are announced publicly.
  7. Finalists meet with campus constituent groups, including faculty, staff, students and trustees. Input from the constituent group meetings is shared with the Board of Higher Education.
  8. The Board of Higher Education and the chair and vice chair of the Board of Trustees interview the finalists.
  9. In a public meeting, the Board of Higher Education vote and select the new president.

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