Presidential selection committee holds drop-in session for community perspectives
Alastair Summerlee’s current term as the President and Vice-Chancellor at the University of Guelph will soon come to an end as a new president is expected to be in place by summer 2014.
Summerlee is the seventh President of the University of Guelph, and in 2013 he is completing his second five-year term.
The Presidential Selection Committee has held several drop-in sessions in order to gain input and advice from the University community. Throughout April and May, the committee has been working to gather input from those affiliated with the University community in order to create a position profile for the next President and Vice-Chancellor.
On May 24, the selection committee presented a draft position profile which was given to attendees who gathered at the library’s Academic Town Square. The committee was looking for feedback from the community and wanted the public to offer their perspectives in order to create a final position profile.
The drafted mandate outlined how the new President will be required to have the skills to develop and implement a strategic plan that inspires and unites the University community, how they will need to implement innovative approaches to keep the University among the best post-secondary institutions in Canada and the world, how they will recognize, value and celebrate the University and its accomplishments, along with a list of additional skills. The draft profile also outlined the potential candidate’s requirements for education, qualifications, experience and personal characteristics.
Some of the stakeholder questions presented at this drop-in session asked others to share their opinions on (1) what strengths the University should continue to build on, (2) what challenges it will need to address, (3) what opportunities they should pursue, and (4) what makes it different and/or how should it differentiate itself. The questions also asked what the (5) President’s short and long-term priorities should be, and (6) what leadership attributes and character traits the University of Guelph should be seeking in the next President and Vice-Chancellor.
If you have your own opinions or ideas about what characteristics you’d like to see in the next University of Guelph President, or opinions on where the University is headed in the next five to ten years, you can submit your ideas to the committee’s confidential email at presidentsearch@caldwellpartners.com.