The Iowa State University Presidential Search Committee met June 5 to establish a timeline for choosing the next President of Iowa State University. They reported back to the Iowa Board of Regents at Thursday’s meeting.

AGB Search was chosen in May to assist in finding candidates. This was the first meeting of the committee. The committee is co-chaired by Luis Rico-Gutierrez, Dean of the College of Design, and includes eight faculty members, two students, one staff member and representatives from the alumni association, ISU Foundation and Ames community.

Rico-Gutierrez said the committee was “electrified” and “full of energy.” AGB Search was chosen in May to help bring in candidates.

“In that meeting, [representatives from AGB] outlined a process that I think is going to help us achieve that goal,” Rico-Gutierrez said. “Two numbers came in the first meeting that are very important: 160 and 16. Next year ISU will be 160 years old and we’re looking for the 16th president.”

The website is now available at presidentialsearch.iastate.edu.

“The most important goal for all of us is that this process is as inclusive as possible,” Rico-Gutierrez said. 

The second half of the meeting was spent on a description of a position. The committee is going into a listening period.

“The next two weeks we’re in a listening mode,” Rico-Gutierrez said. The purpose of that is “to understand how people think about challenges and opportunities.”

Over the next week, the committee will hold listening sessions in the community. 

AGB has already scheduled one on one meetings within the university, meeting with senior leaders, staff and student groups. There is also the email for those who cannot attend any meetings to give feedback. Later, community members can suggest candidates via the email.

The goal is to place the ads around July 6 in various places, for various backgrounds. Then the group will switch to search mode.

“It is a very aggressive timeline, we’re not scared by that. We’re used to that at Iowa State,” Rico-Gutierrez said.

Right now, semifinalists are set to be selected mid-September, with on-campus visits and a final decision made in October. If the timeline is met, they will present viable candidates at the October 23 meeting of the Regents.

There are four open forums to hear from the general public on preferred qualifications for the next president of Iowa State University. They are scheduled for:

Monday, June 12 at 1:30 p.m.

Pioneer Room, Memorial Union, Iowa State University campus

Monday, June 12 at 5:30 p.m.

Campanile Room, Memorial Union, Iowa State University campus

Tuesday, June 13 at 8:30 a.m.

Pioneer Room, Memorial Union, Iowa State University campus

Tuesday, June 13 at noon

Design on Main, 203 Main Street, Ames, Iowa