WESTFIELD – The Westfield State University Board of Trustees formally approved a motion at its Monday meeting naming campus and community leaders to serve as members of the university’s Presidential Search Advisory Committee. The committee will be led by Board of Trustee members Steven Marcus ’88 and Terrell M. Hill ’92, who were appointed to serve as the chair and vice-chair respectively at the April board meeting.
“The professionals selected for the Presidential Search Committee offer a diversity of backgrounds, opinions, and experiences that will be essential when developing criteria, evaluating credentials, and identifying candidates for the university’s next president,” Marcus said.
The member of the Westfield State University Presidential Search Committee are: Katheryn Bradford, Director, Alumni Relations (APA); Junior Delgado, Director, Career Services (APA); Evelyn Dina ’16, SGA Member, Student Representative; Joshua Frank, Student Trustee; Dr. Margot Hennessy, Chair, Ethnic and Gender Studies, MSCA Chapter President; Terrell Hill ’92, Trustee; Robin Jensen, Chair, Foundation Board; Ron’na Lytle, Administrative Assistant, Ethnic and Gender Studies, (AFSCME); Steven Marcus ’88, Trustee; Luis Perez, Trustee; Carlton Pickron, Vice President, Student Affairs (NUP); Henry Thomas, BHE Representative; Dr. Edward Welsh, Associate Professor, Mathematics (MSCA).
The Presidential Search Committee members are responsible for selecting the university’s 20th president. The committee’s first task will be the selection of an executive search firm to assist in the process. A request for proposals (RFP) was posted nationally this fall, and four firms have responded. Trustee Marcus plans to convene the search committee in early January to review the four proposals and to select a finalist for presentation to the board at its next meeting on February 5.
The Board has committed to a presidential search process that is open and inclusive, conducted in accordance with the BHE Guidelines and Procedures for the Search, Selection, Appointment and Removal of State University and Community College Presidents (June 2013). As the search gets underway, a website will be established to to serve as the official resource for information and updates on the process.
