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Next 'U' pres. will not be a 'usual suspect'

The Board of Regents said yesterday that the next University president should not be among the "usual suspects" -- candidates such as current presidents at other schools.

"Confining ourselves to the usual suspects with the usual resumes ... isn't likely to be just the right person at just the right time," said Regent Philip Power (D-Ann Arbor).

Mirroring comments made during a series of nine public forums in the last few months, Power said the board must choose a person who will serve the needs of the University as it moves into the 21st century.

"I ask you to be creative and look for that person with unusual experience or interests," Regent Laurence Deitch (D-Bloomfield Hills) said during a meeting with Malcolm MacKay, the presidential search consultant. Deitch added that candidates could come from the government or private sector, and not necessarily from a business background.

"I worry that if we talk too much about the CEO, we put ourselves in the pool of usual suspects," Deitch said. "I don't want to limit what we do to that group of people."

The board also stressed that the president must be chosen based on the important issues the University will face during the next 10 years, citing technological and economic changes.

"The leader of the University has to be able to serve in the changing society we live in," said Regent Shirley McFee (R-Battle Creek).

The discussion stemmed from a job description written and presented by MacKay, who is the managing director of the New York-based firm Russell Reynolds Inc. The draft was not only a starting point for yesterday's discussion, but it also will be given to potential candidates.

"The main value of this document is to have you think and tell me the qualifications of the position," MacKay said. "It will become the marching order of the advisory committee."

MacKay was hired by the regents in January to help them find the successor to James Duderstadt, who said he would step down as president on June 30.

MacKay's draft outlined the duties and responsibilities of the president, along with some professional and personal qualifications.

Regent Rebecca McGowan (D-Ann Arbor) emphasized that the president must have a good relationship with the state Legislature.

"Our primary donor on an annual basis is the state legislature," she said. "It is (the president's) most significant responsibility when it comes to raising money."

The board also said the job description should acknowledge the medical center and the University's athletic program as two primary responsibilities of the president.

The regents also discussed whether the leader should come from more of an academic, rather than a business background, a concern raised during the public forums.

A statistical representation of the comments of all 228 people who spoke during the forums was given to the regents at yesterday's meeting.

The analysis, compiled by Director of Academic Planning and Analysis Marilyn Knepp, showed the public's opinion on the characteristics of the next leader, their rank of a president's priorities and the search process.

Only five of the eight regents attended yesterday's meeting. Regents Andrea Fischer Newman (R-Ann Arbor), Nellie Varner (D-Detroit) and Daniel Horning (R-Grand Haven) did not participate in the discussion.

MacKay will now revise the draft and present a new one -- based on yesterday's discussion -- at a meeting Feb. 28. During that meeting, Provost J. Bernard Machen will also present his nominations for Presidential Search Advisory Committee members.

After the board approves the committee's members, the two groups will meet on March 1. Then, the regents will have no contact with the advisory committee, who will interview candidates. The advisory committee's office will be located in the Perry Building.