U starts search for next president

With questions about confidentiality and thoughts about what makes a good leader, the University of Minnesota officially launched its search for a new president Thursday.

"From my background in the military, this is selecting the next general," said Regent Dean Johnson. "The next four-star. ... It's a very important position."

The selection of a replacement for Robert Bruninks, who will step down when his contract expires in summer 2011, comes at a crucial time as the university faces cuts in state funding and it deals with broad changes to higher education.

On Thursday, the regents approved a process by which candidates will be recruited, interviewed and selected. Next up: appointing a diverse search advisory committee made up of people from inside and outside the university. Unlike with the previous search, done with the same consulting firm, the U will publicly identify candidates before the regents interview them.

The board could choose its new president as soon as this fall, said Clyde Allen, chairman of the board.

Already, Bill Funk of R. William Funk & Associates, the consulting firm chosen, has been on campus interviewing board members and others about the state of the U and which qualities its future leader needs to have.

On Thursday, regents asked him about compensation, due diligence and how attractive the opening will be to star candidates.

Most states' laws allow universities to hold off on releasing a candidate's name until after he or she has been selected as president, Funk said. It's easier to recruit sitting presidents with that process, he said.

Hunter then asked: "In your role as a consultant, would you advise this board to try to take the road most commonly traveled?"

"I'd like the opportunity to recruit as strong and as large a pool of candidates as possible," Funk said. "I would like to have the opportunity to recruit sitting presidents [so] I'd prefer a more confidential process."

Funk aided in the U's past two presidential searches, including the 2002 search that resulted in Bruininks' appointment.

In 2004, the Minnesota Supreme Court ruled that the regents violated the Open Meeting Law and Data Practices Act during that search. The board interviewed finalists in secret and refused to release their names. Several media organizations sued to force release of the names.