March 1, 2017

Dear Colleagues and Friends:

On behalf of the University of Miami Executive Vice President (EVP) and Provost search committee, which I am honored to be chairing, I write to invite you to submit nominations for this marquee senior leadership position.

As you may know, the search committee met last week; we will be hosting a number of Town Hall meetings in the future, the dates for which will soon be set and posted. During those sessions, we will focus on what you would like the next EVP and Provost to accomplish in his/her first year and first five years, and what you perceive to be key characteristics, credentials, and experiences of a candidate. We very much look forward to your valuable input.

Our search is wide open; we will concentrate on individuals who have a track record of success in academic administration at our peer or aspirational peer universities, internationally; we will consider as well, especially talented internal faculty, if nominated. Our search consultants from Russell Reynolds Associates, Ilene H. Nagel and Jon Derek Croteau, will contact those nominated, as well as respond to those who answer the ads placed in key venues.

Given the University of Miami's recent record of many successes, we are optimistic about generating an exceptional pool—albeit the pool will surely be strengthened by your nominations. While the committee is open to considering individuals presenting a variety of backgrounds, most EVP and Provosts at comprehensive research universities are usually selected from among those who have served as Dean of a large college, or as Associate/Deputy/Vice Provost for Academic Affairs, or as Associate/Deputy/Vice Provost for Research. Please keep this in mind about those you wish to nominate.

Please send your nominations to UniversityofMiami-Provost@russellreynolds.com. We thank you in advance for your suggestions.

In April the search committee will review, in strict confidence, all those who have become formal candidates, and select a short list of those to be invited for a confidential first-round interview. The search committee will be involved in reference checking on the short list of semi-finalists. Insofar as many of our candidates will be sitting Deans or Associate Provosts actively involved in faculty recruitment and retention and donor cultivation at their own home institutions, we will need to be extremely careful about protecting their identities. Within these constraints, we will try, however, to provide you with as much information as possible as we move forward.

Best,

Eddie Alfonso, Chair
Search Committee for EVP and Provost

Search Committee
Eduardo Alfonso (Chair), Professor, Miller School of Medicine
Steven Altschuler, Senior Vice President for Health Affairs and CEO of UHealth
R. Stephen Cantrell, Professor, College of Arts and Sciences
Nurcin Celik, Associate Professor, College of Engineering
Shirley Dennis, Associate Professor, School of Business Administration
Richard Fain, Chair, University of Miami Board of Trustees
Kysha Harriell, Clinical Associate Professor, School of Education and Human Development
Osamudia James, Professor, School of Law
Richard John, Associate Professor, School of Architecture
Karen Kennedy, Associate Professor, Frost School of Music
Mary Mckay, Associate Professor, School of Nursing and Health Studies
Tamay Ozgokmen, Professor, Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science
Shouraseni Roy, Associate Professor, College of Arts and Sciences
Arrix Ryce, Student Representative
Ralph Sacco, Professor, Miller School of Medicine
Sam Terilli, Associate Professor, School of Communication