Repository: UIHistories Project: Board of Trustees Minutes - 1970 [PAGE 900]

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900

BOARD OF TRUSTEES

[April 15

M R . L. CLIFFORD GOAD (Detroit, Michigan), President of the University of Illinois Foundation M R . C. EDWARD RAYMOND (DeKalb), of the University of Illinois Citizens Committee Charge to the Consultative Committee to Assist in t h e Selection of a President A general authorization establishing the Consultative Committee is provided by the action of the Board of Trustees on March 18, 1970. It is now necessary for the Trustees to specify the charge of the Committee and the general procedures within which it will operate. 1 Although the several broad constituencies of the University are reflected in the structure of the Committee, in no sense does the Board regard the members as "representatives" o r "delegates" of any single interest group. Rather, each member is expected to serve as an individual, exercising his own best judgment in the interest of the University of Illinois as a whole. The Committee's first task will be to recommend criteria to be used as the basis of judging the qualifications of candidates for the office of President of the University; and second, to assemble a list of names of individuals judged to be suitable for the position. The several constituencies of the University should be invited to suggest suitable possible candidates, and suggestions might be sought from other appropriate sources, including other institutions of higher learning. The Trustees will of course maintain a continuing interest in the identification of outstanding candidates and may wish to suggest names. Soon after the Committee has been organized, the Trustees will arrange a meeting with it, to discuss and fix criteria to be used in judging candidates and procedures to be followed in later stages of the search. After a list of possible candidates has been assembled, the Committee should conduct a preliminary screening designed to identify a number of individuals judged to be the most promising in the list. Detailed information should then be secured concerning these individuals, initially from public records such as professional directories and bibliographic sources. At this point, care should be taken neither to approach prospective candidates nor to solicit formal evaluations of candidates by non-University persons, inasmuch as such inquiries may prove to be embarrassing to the candidates or to the University. Informal inquiries may be made by the Committee, but only with clearance from the President of the Board of Trustees, and it should be made clear that the search is in a preliminary stage and that no approach has yet been made to any candidate. In this connection, the Trustees emphasize the importance of careful coordination and channeling of all Committee communications concerning candidates through the chairman of the Committee, who is charged with the responsibility of keeping the Board fully informed — and who, in turn, will be kept informed by the Board. It is anticipated that the Board will receive progress reports, at least on a monthly basis, from the chairman of the Committee in person. (The Board will wish to have the benefit of the views of all members of the Committee, including "minority" views, if any. However, all communications should be transmitted t o the Board as a whole and through the Committee chairman.) After a review of the credentials of the reduced list of candidates, the Committee should provide the Trustees with a panel of names of individuals who appear to be most promising. A meeting will then be arranged by the Board of Trustees to discuss candidates and the procedures to be followed in approaching them. T h e Trustees assume as a clear objective that the Board and the Committee will seek consensus in the final selection. As indicated in the Board actions of March 18, 1970, the Trustees have the responsibility of making the final decision. Although it will be the responsibility of the Board to approach final candidates and to conduct all negotiations, the Board will seek such assistance from the Committee in these matters as the Board may feel necessary. It is axiomatic that discretion and confidentiality are required of all Committee members. T h e Committee's usefulness to the Board is dependent upon this

• The Committee is expected to develop its own rules and internal procedures, within the limits of this charge and after consultation with the Board of Trustees.