MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — Middle Tennessee State University’s Board of Trustees along with a senior administrator will serve as the presidential search committee following board action at a special meeting held Tuesday, July 14, during which the body also affirmed the hiring of an executive search firm to conduct the national search for the institution’s next leader.

During the called virtual meeting, trustees unanimously approved Board Chairman Stephen Smith’s recommendation that the search committee be composed of the full 12-member board, as well as retired Lt. Gen. Keith M. Huber, MTSU’s senior adviser for veterans and leadership initiatives.

In addition to Smith and Huber, the search committee will consist of Trustees Vice Chair Christine Karbowiak Vanek; and Trustees J.B. Baker; Tom Boyd; Pete DeLay; John Floyd; Jimmy Granbery; Bill Jones; Kari Neely, Faculty Trustee; RJ Ware, Student Trustee; and Chad White.

The search process follows the spring announcement by longtime President Sidney A. McPhee that he would retire at the end of the year after 25 years of leadership. As a tenured professor, McPhee plans to take a sabbatical to retool and prepare to ultimately return to the faculty in the College of Education. 

Following unanimous approval of the search committee, trustees approved the recommendation of Los Angeles-based executive search firm Korn Ferry to handle the search. Described by Trustee Tom Boyd as “the largest search firm in the world,” Korn Ferry has handled executive-level searches for other higher education institutions, including Texas A&M, University of South Florida, University of Florida, and Carnegie Mellon, among others. The company was chosen from an initial review of 80-plus firms.

Smith told fellow trustees that the top search firms they consulted as part of the selection process indicated that it would be possible to get a new president in place by Jan. 1, but now that Korn Kerry has been hired, the firm will be consulted to develop a more definitive timeline that will be shared with the search committee in the near future. 

Smith said he anticipates a number of public forums over the coming months as the search process unfolds and finalists for the position are chosen for interviews, providing an opportunity for faculty, staff, students, alumni and various other stakeholders to provide input to trustees.

“We’re going to be hands-on, and there’s going to be a lot of face-to-face meetings,” he said.

Trustees also approved an amendment to the candidate qualifications, placing the following at the top of the criteria: “The successful candidate will combine strategic, visionary leadership with operational discipline to ensure that the University continues to adapt to evolving educational, economic, and workforce needs, guiding MTSU confidently into its next era of growth and distinction.”

A dedicated, regularly updated presidential search website will be accessible from the https://mtsu.edu homepage beginning July 15.

For more information about the MTSU Board of Trustees, visit https://mtsu.edu/bot.

— Jimmy Hart ([email protected])