MORGANTOWN – Only six people turned out for Monday evening’s WVU presidential search community listening session. But that turned into a positive, as the session turned from a public hearing format with two-minute time limits to a free-flowing conversation about what they and the WVU community in general want in their next president.
Pain and joy were among the themes.
Judith Stitzel, who founded WVU’s Center for Women’s and Gender Studies, said the next president needs a deep understanding that they are coming to a place of healing, following a serious wounding.
“I don’t think it contradicts we’re looking toward the future,” Stitzel said.
She said, “I have not heard enough about ideas , not enough about pain, not enough about joy.”
She pointed out that the president will take office next July, in a time of broad turmoil. “This is not just a search; this is a search in the middle of terror.”
And alumnus Kyle Hess picked up on that theme, “I don’t see much joy on our campus anymore.” We live in a time when people are militant and argumentative.
This is the final week of listening sessions that began in July, with sessions devoted to faculty, staff, students and community members.
Presidential Search Committee chair Patrice Harris told the attendees, “This is your opportunity to tell us what you would like to see. … We want this to be an inclusive and engaged process.”
The sessions, and an online survey – at surveymonkey.com/r/wvupresidentintake – that has drawn 1,130 responses to date, are designed to help answer three sets of questions:
What do you see as key attractions for this leadership opportunity? What makes you proud to be a part of the WVU community and excited about the future?
What are the skill sets, experiences, qualifications, credentials and personal attributes needed in the next president?
What are the key opportunities and challenges facing West Virginia University? How should the new president seek to capitalize on or address them?
Faculty member Leslie Cottrell said the next president needs a sense of community engagement. And, “I would think the candidate would want to now how the state supports us and how we support the state.”
WVU’s integral role not just in the community but statewide was a common theme.
Taylor Schmidt, a staff member and alumnus, cited former President Jim Clements’ belief that “no institution means more to its state than WVU does to West Virginia.” The right candidate must understand that.
And former Alumni Assoication chair John Fahey put it in terms of “town and gown.” He said, “The town and gown is West Virginia. It’s not Morgantown. … The town is the state, the state is the town.”
The conversation brought out other ideas and desired qualities.
Stitzel noted, “We are not the tail end of the hospital, we are a university. … We have a very large and beautify business school. We are not a business school; we are a university.”
Other thoughts. The next president will want to promote community land grant efforts and want to know if he or she has support for that.
The next president should have collaborative skills, and budgetary skills and experience. Creativity and humility. Team building ability. Willingness to get out of the office and into the community. Be diplomatic and genuine.
One attendee listed growing enrollment, growing research, reaching beyond Appalachia for recruiting and promoting seed grants for new faculty to keep them here.
And Stitzel said every candidate should be asked why they want to be WVU president. “What do they think they can learn from us?”
Listening sessions run through Friday, with a Charleston session to be determined.
The survey and session results will be made public and will be used this month to build a leadership profile to take into the market in October.
Screening and initial interviews will take place this fall and into winter 2025. Finalist interviews will take place next spring, with an announcement of the choice to follow. Current WVU President Gordon Gee will retire June 30, 2025.
Email: dbeard@dominionpost.com
