The Utah State Board of Regents has named a 24-member committee to conduct a national search for the next president of the University of Utah. University of Utah President David Pershing announced on May 1, 2017, that he will return to a faculty position at the conclusion of a presidential search and will remain as president until his successor is appointed by the board of regents.
The search committee will be chaired by board of regents member Harris Simmons and the U board of trustees chair H. David Burton. It is comprised of representatives from the board of regents, trustees and institutional stakeholders including faculty, staff, students, administration, alumni and community members.
“As Utah’s flagship institution, the University of Utah is increasingly recognized nationally and internationally for its cutting-edge research and quality of educational programs. The selection of this committee has been thoughtful and deliberate, with each member having a significant connection to the institution and a strong interest in the future success of the U,” said Daniel Campbell, chair of the board of regents. “This committee will play a critical role in the search for the U’s next president, and we appreciate the willingness of these committee members to lend their expertise and time to this important process.”
The presidential search committee will hold public meetings to obtain input from members of the University of Utah community and the general public on the presidential search. A schedule of these meetings will be released in late summer.
Based on this feedback, the committee will approve a position announcement and call for nominations and applications. The committee will then screen applications for the position and conduct interviews with candidates. After deliberating, the committee will recommend three to five finalists to the board of regents.
Below is a complete list of the U’s presidential search committee members:
Board of Regents
Harris H. Simmons
Daniel W. Campbell
Patricia Jones
Robert S. Marquardt
University of Utah Board of Trustees
H. David Burton
Zach Berger
Phil Clinger
Christian Gardner
University of Utah Administration, Faculty and Staff
Cynthia Berg, dean, College of Social and Behavioral Science
Richard Brown, dean, College of Engineering
Margaret Clayton, president of Academic Senate and faculty member in College of Nursing
Kathleen Cooney, M.D., chair, Department of Internal Medicine, U Health
Sarah George, executive director, Natural History Museum of Utah
Jeff Herring, chief human resource officer
Uri Loewenstein, professor of finance, Eccles School of Business
Ana Maria Lopez, associate VP for equity and inclusion, U Health
Jennifer McConnell, president, Utah Staff Council
Nicole Robinson, assistant VP for equity and diversity
Wes Sundquist, chair, Department of Biochemistry and 2017 Rosenblatt Prize recipient
Monica Vetter, chair, Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy
Community/Alumni Representatives
Julie Barrett, immediate past president, Alumni Association
Lisa Eccles, president and COO, George S. Eccles Foundation
Jim Olson, president, Vivint SmartHome Arena
Janice Ugaki, CEO and founder, Firmseek
The Utah System of Higher Education (USHE) is governed by the Utah State Board of Regents and is comprised of Utah’s eight public colleges and universities. The CEO of USHE is the commissioner of higher education.
For more information, visit higheredutah.org.