By Neil Doyle

NORMAL – The process of finding the 20th president of Illinois State University is underway.

The search committee, which is led by ISU Board of Trustees chair Julie Annette Jones, met Monday via Zoom. The committee will screen applications, interview candidates, and issue a report to the university’s governing board, which makes final decisions regarding presidential appointments.

“I am excited being on this committee and I hope you all are excited too,” said Jones. “I hope you feel empowered and don’t feel like they just put you on this committee because we needed 32 people because we didn’t. But I hope you feel like you are valued in someway and that is why you were invited to participate in this committee. This is a big job.”

The committee is comprised of students, faculty, staff members, alumni board and foundation board members, and trustees.

The search committee will be assisted by WittKieffer, a global executive search firm that has partnered with ISU on several searches, most recently for director of Intercollegiate Athletics and vice president for Academic Affairs and Provost.

The presidential search will remain confidential throughout the process. Committee members, and additional governance representatives who meet with candidate finalists, will sign confidentiality agreements.

Jones hopes the search process can be completed by the end of the academic year.

In November, ISU President Larry Dietz announced his plans to retire at the end of June.

Neil Doyle can be reached at [email protected]