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Attendance: Approximately 65
No Announced Agenda
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President Malcolm Gillis called to order and chaired the specially called General Faculty Meeting in McMurtry Auditorium of Duncan Hall at 4:00 PM. Guests in attendance included representatives from the Thresher. The purpose of the meeting was to hear from faculty colleagues about the presidential search and their final choice.
Bob Patten served as moderator and began the report of the elected faculty respresentives of the search committee on the successful completion of the presidential search. He introducted the other faculty members on the committee: Jim Pomerantz, Bob Curl, and Robin Forman. He also reminded the faculty that the details of the search could not be shared.
Pomerantz reported on the search process, explaining the makeup of the search committee, it's timeline of meetings, the outreach process, the development of their white paper, the development of the applicant pool, and the interview process. Curl reported on the lessons learned during the search process. In addition to the advantage of having a year's notice to conduct the search, he put importance on the committee's preliminary work of talking with University colleagues and consolidating their findings through the creation of the white paper. He commented on the importance of determining the decisional ground rules early in the search process. Forman spoke about the professional career and personal qualities of David Leebron, currently Dean of the Columbia University School of Law, and soon to be the 7th President of Rice University. He also provided brief information on Professor Leebron's wife, Y. Ping Sun.
Patten opened the floor to questions. Discussion ensued regarding time spent with other candidates, candidate lists, student participation on the search committee, documentation and archival record keeping, and the new president's faculty appointment and living accommodations. President Gillis clarified the timetable for assumption of duties of the new president on July 1, 2004 and shared some of the transition procedures being planned.
Patten announced that all were invited to the formal press conference to be held on Friday, December 19, at noon, in McMurtry Auditorium of Duncan Hall followed by a reception, in the lobby of Duncan Hall, at which David Leebron and Y. Ping Sun will be present.
There being no further questions, the meeting was adjourned at 4:40
Respectively submitted,
Janis Cain
Secretary to the Faculty