Presidential Search Messages

A Message from the Board of Trustees Chair

Dear Campus Community,

On behalf of my fellow Trustees, I’d like to welcome the Seahawk community to a new school year. I am certain you have been busy getting acclimated to the pace of the fall semester, and hope you are enjoying the thrill of learning new things, meeting new people and connecting with old friends.

As many of you know, in May, President Tuajuanda Jordan publicly announced her intention to retire next summer. We are grateful for her decade of service to SMCM, and her impact on the trajectory of this institution we all love. We look forward to celebrating the progress of the College under President Jordan’s leadership later this academic year.

The Board of Trustees is now tasked with finding our next president. This is among our most important duties, and I wanted to update you on the steps we are taking to fulfill that responsibility with care and urgency.

• A rigorous and thorough vetting process has been completed by a special committee of the Board who has chosen WittKieffer, a well-regarded executive search firm, to lead our search.
• We are now in the final stages of forming a Presidential Search Committee comprised of approximately 13 stakeholders representing trustees, faculty, staff and the student body. I have appointed a trustee to chair the committee, and look forward to introducing you once committee membership is finalized.
• Critical to our process will be hearing from you as we shape the contents of the position prospectus and help guide the search committee on what is most important to you as we execute the search. To this end, we will host a series of stakeholder listening sessions in the coming weeks to hear directly from you.

As we move through the process, you can expect regular communications from me, as well as the chair of the search committee. Additionally, a website will be created for more frequent updates and serve as a place to share your thoughts.

I am energized by this important work as we endeavor to identify our next president and build on the momentum of the past ten years.

Thanks for all you do to support St. Mary’s College of Maryland. I’ll be in touch again soon.

John Bell '95
Chair, SMCM Board of Trustees