Charge to the Presidential Search Committee

Mount Holyoke College
February 28, 2009

The Presidential Search Committee is charged with recommending to the Board of Trustees of Mount Holyoke College the individual who, in the Committee's judgment, is best qualified to lead Mount Holyoke as its eighteenth president. The Board retains the right and responsibility of making the final selection and appointment.

The Search Committee shall be broadly representative of the College's trustees, faculty, students, and staff, but individual members are not charged with representing a constituency. Each member represents the College as a whole.

The Search Committee is asked to conduct its work with careful attention to, and seeking significant input from, Mount Holyoke's several constituencies, giving each constituency opportunity early in the search process to offer views on qualities to seek in candidates, and to nominate specific individuals.

With the support of its search consultants, the Search Committee will develop a profile of the leadership qualities needed to fulfill the mission of the College and its vision for the future. This profile will guide the search and selection process. It will be shared with prospective and actual candidates, prospective sources of nominations, and the broader Mount Holyoke community.

The Search Committee will aim to conduct a search with a process that is transparent, but with the understanding that the identities of those applying or nominated for the position must be kept strictly confidential. Throughout the process, and forever after, the Search Committee and its staff will commit to complete confidentiality with respect to the names of candidates; the nature, content, and documents of the committee's deliberations; and details pertaining to the selection. The Board also requires that the members of the Committee refrain from making any statements at any time concerning the activities of the Committee, except to the Board of Trustees at the Board's request. Only the Search Committee chair and Board chair are authorized to comment on the progress of the search.

The Board recognizes the desirability of keeping all constituencies informed of the progress of the search and, accordingly, asks the Committee's chair to report periodically to the Mount Holyoke community, providing as much information as possible consistent with the requirements of confidentiality. To this end, and also to provide a mechanism for suggestions from stakeholders, the Search Committee will establish and maintain a public web site devoted to the search.

The Board of Trustees extends its deep appreciation to the members of the Search Committee for their time, energy, and dedication to Mount Holyoke College.