Board of Regents selects presidential search firm
The Board of Regents has formally begun the search for St. Olaf’s next president by identifying an outside search firm to assist with the process.
President David R. Anderson ’74, announced in May 2021 that he would step down at the end of the 2022-23 academic year. Now, the Board of Regents has kicked off the process to select Anderson’s successor by selecting Storbeck Search. The announcement was made by St. Olaf Board of Regents Chair Jay Lund ’81, whose full message to the community is below.
Dear St. Olaf Community,
The public announcement of President Anderson’s plan to retire at the end of the 2022-23 academic year has created the opportunity for the Board of Regents to begin the process of selecting his successor. This is our most important responsibility as Regents. I’m thankful that the announcement, two years in advance of David’s retirement, gives us plenty of time to craft a search that will yield the right choice. The Board is committed to a thoughtful, rigorous, inclusive process that will give every member of the St. Olaf community on and off campus the opportunity to share their thoughts and aspirations for our next president.
The first step in that process is to identify a search partner. We have selected Storbeck Search to assist us in the search. To arrive at this decision we interviewed six search firms, followed up on those conversations with requests for further information, conducted more interviews, and checked references. Storbeck Search is particularly knowledgeable about and well known in the world of leading liberal arts colleges. Three of their most recent high-profile placements have been new presidents at Colorado College, Lafayette College, and Carleton. They are also deeply committed to and highly successful at developing diverse pools of candidates for boards to consider.
The next step as we begin our search will be selecting a search committee and then engaging in a thorough and inclusive process of listening to the community about the kinds of qualities and experiences you hope to see in our next president. You can expect updates later this summer and early in the fall as we proceed to the next steps.
Regards,
Jay Lund, Chair
St. Olaf Board of Regents