This week the University of Utah is holding a few public search committee meetings to get input on who should replace David Pershing as the new university president.
Pershing announced he would be stepping down following the controversial firing last spring of the head of the Huntsman Cancer Institute, which he oversees. Although the announcement was made months ago, it’s not a simple thing to find a replacement.
“The institution is so complex when you’re looking at the hospital, the medical services, you have the stature of it being a PAC 12 institution," says Geoff Landward, an assistant commissioner for Utah's Board of Regents.
Landward says these public meetings will be an opportunity to hear from school employees and local residents. The board has also the firm R. William Funk & Associates, which specializes in higher education, to help with the nationwide search.
"Often times successful candidates for an institution of this size are not people who are necessarily looking for another opportunity," Landward says.
It’s the job of the firm to go after those candidates who might be comfortable but potentially interested in a job like this one.
The public meetings will be held at the following locations on campus:
Monday, Sept. 11, 3p.m. - Eccles Institute of Human Genetics
Tuesday, Sept. 12, 3 p.m. - Moot Courtroom, University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law
Tuesday, Sept. 12, 7 p.m. - Moot Courtroom, University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law
