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Presidential search process off to ‘good start,’ campus listening sessions planned Sept. 9-13

flying gold WV on blue background

Dr. Patrice Harris, vice-chair of the West Virginia University Board of Governors and chair of the Presidential Search Committee, provided an update Friday (Aug. 23) on the search for the next University president.

Aug. 23, 2024

Dear West Virginia University Community,

Greetings and I hope everyone is off to a great fall semester. I’m adding this message to the ongoing series of updates intended to keep you informed about the progress of our search for the next president of West Virginia University.

The Presidential Search Committee met Thursday, Aug. 22, and discussed our aspirations for the next president of WVU. We reflected on our challenges and opportunities as a university, and discussed the professional qualifications and qualities preferred in our next president.

As has been previously shared, WittKieffer is our search partner. The WittKieffer team will visit our campuses Sept. 9-13 to facilitate listening sessions so that you too may have the opportunity to provide your insights. During these sessions, WittKieffer will be soliciting your thoughts on the pride points of our University, the challenges and opportunities for the next president, and the skills and attributes you see as most important for our next president to possess.

A complete schedule for the listening sessions is available at presidentialsearch.wvu.edu. Thank you in advance for your willingness to participate in these important sessions. The Board of Governors and the Search Committee are eager to hear your perspectives.

As a reminder, there is also the opportunity for input by completing the online survey available at presidentialsearch.wvu.edu.

Once our consultants have gathered information from across our campuses and via the survey, they will draft the leadership profile, an important document that will describe WVU and serve as a critical recruiting tool as we launch our search into the national market.

The process is off to a good start. I will share additional information with you as we enter subsequent stages of the process. Updates will continue to be shared through a variety of channels, including WVUToday, MOUNTAINEER E-News, Unews and the WVU Alumni Newsletter.

Please email questions, concerns or confidential candidate nominations to WVUPresident@wittkieffer.com.

Sincerely,

Dr. Patrice Harris
Chair, Presidential Search Committee
Vice-Chair, WVU Board of Governors