Magazine

In this Letter to Oles, St. Olaf Board of Regents Chair Jay Lund ’81 provides an update on the search for the college’s 12th president.

Dear Oles,

It’s an exciting time at St. Olaf College. 

For the first time in 17 years, the Board of Regents and our campus community are engaged in the challenging, invigorating work of selecting the college’s next leader. Just over a year ago, President David R. Anderson ’74 announced that he would retire at the end of the 2022–23 academic year. Now, as President Anderson turns to his last year leading the college — and as we celebrate his many accomplishments — we are also looking to the future.

A Presidential Search Committee composed of regents and former regents, alumni, faculty, staff, and a student, in collaboration with our search firm, Storbeck Search, is leading the charge. As those groups have shaped the profile of St. Olaf’s next leader, they’ve been guided by a wealth of feedback from across the St. Olaf community. Thank you to all who have sat in on listening sessions, provided survey feedback, sent notes, and met with our search firm during their visit to campus. Your input is invaluable.

The work has also been shaped by the Board of Regents’ 2021 Visioning Task Force report, which examined St. Olaf’s strengths, challenges, and commitments as we look toward the college’s next chapter. As we interview candidates, we are searching for those who have the experience, energy, and drive to live out this vision and its commitments: 

• For Every Ole — Developing the Whole Person
• Improving St. Olaf Culture and Living Out Our Values
• Empowering Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
• Becoming an Agile and Focused St. Olaf

The Presidential Search Committee began building a candidate pool this spring, and interviews will take place through the summer. Later this year, we expect the committee to make its recommendations to the Board of Regents, which will then select a candidate. St. Olaf’s 12th president will be announced to the full campus community in early 2023, and will be in office by July 2023.

This process is the Board of Regents’ most important work, and we are grateful to the many people who have and will support it. We are excited to identify a candidate who will lead our effort to live out our vision for the future, as defined by the Visioning Task Force:

St. Olaf College will be known as one of the country’s best liberal arts colleges, nationally and internationally recognized for excellence, academic rigor, and community inclusivity, while developing and preparing students of character to lead lives of substance as contributing citizens of the world. 

Regards,

Jay Lund ’81, P’21, P’14, P’14

Chair of the St. Olaf Board of Regents