March 3, 2008

Closed Presidential Searches Are the Norm in North Carolina

North Carolina tops the nation in secret searches for public-college leaders, The Fayetteville Observer reports.

Governing boards around the country argue that privacy is needed to attract a top-notch slate of presidential candidates. But the newspaper found that, among the states, only North Carolina allows all of its public institutions to keep secret the names of applicants and finalists for president and chancellor.

Two North Carolina lawmakers, expressing surprise at the newspaper’s report, said they would consider a proposal to change the state’s open-meeting requirements. The article includes a list of the budgeted costs of nine recent searches in North Carolina, each of which topped $120,000. —Paul Fain

Comments

1. The real issue here is that too many schools depend almost entirely on a search firm they have hired to conduct the search and learn about the background of candidates and to screen the search pool before it gets to committee of insiders that rubber stamps finalists. Quite frankly most search firms have already identified the pool for new searches before the search even occurs because they are masters at networking with potential candidates. Now that is not necessarily a bad thing but higher education institutions should enter into the contractual relationship with search firms with a more clear understanding of what it adds and what it does not. The search firms are typically populated with former presidents and in some cases higher education wonks as their consultants. That sort of background gives the consultant a great deal of self-confidence but it sometimes restricts them from truly understanding each institution they work with, its context, its community and needs as richly as could a well informed and broad group of insiders. The other thing that search firms accomplish is that local candidates are often off the table from the get go. The search firms need to demonstrate their “national” efforts and it is rare to see an insider succeed when a search firm is used. I have been on both sides of that result (an outside candidate when there was an inside candidate and an inside candidate when there were outside candidates) and it is not good for the institution or candidates either way. Insiders are weakened by the competition and somehow not seen as strong as they were before the search. Outsiders at the same time sometimes have a negative perception as a result of competition with a known and well-liked insider. In the end, the days of the good old boys in the smoky room are not very different from today (at least in the initial stages of many searches) as the search firms control the most important positions in higher education and dominate the results of our searches. While I might be overly dramatic in my statements, it is clear to me that broad and open searches conducted by those of us who work in institutions of higher education on a day to day basis are needed. We need wide input and participation in any senior level search not the least of which is a search for an institutional president.

   — Jeff Senese    Mar 3, 01:40 PM    #

2. In North Carolina like many other states the chosen candidates are likely to be political like the president of the system. This guy is not very smart and was dumped by the Clinton Administration after 18 months but he used that and the political governor who wanted to be president of the USA to turn a great university into another political organ. I suspect President Bill Friday is not happy with this new guy making everything political.

   — james oakley    Mar 3, 05:37 PM    #

3. And after all why should the taxpayers of the state have to be aware of the wheeling and dealing behind closed doors? I say, great job tar boys.

   — g    Mar 3, 09:28 PM    #

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