Oberlin Alumni Magazine
Winter 2007 Vol. 102 No. 3
The Search for a New Leader
The process of searching for a new president represents a bittersweet phase in the life of any college. In assessing the qualities most desired in a new leader, one naturally begins to reflect upon the past.
When Nancy Dye retires as president of Oberlin College in June, she will leave behind a powerful legacy of success, including:
- A strengthened student body, especially in terms of selectivity, yield, retention, and financial aid policies;
- Significantly strengthening the endowment by leading the largest capital campaign in the College’s history;
- Innovative approaches to town-gown relations; and
- Superb new physical facilities, including state-of-the-art science and environmental studies centers, and a restored Allen Memorial Art Museum.
Finally, and perhaps most importantly, she will leave behind an Oberlin equipped for the future, one with a clearly defined mission, direction, and set of goals.
This year will be among the most important in Oberlin’s history. Lead-ing a search for a new president is the most important work of the Board of Trustees this year. As you will read in the article on page 6, the search is well under way. We are now in the process of generating a candidate pool. Our goal is to appoint a new president by the end of this academic year, but to remain flexible regarding timing in order to make the best presidential appointment possible.
To create the strongest possible pool of candidates, we need your help. I invite you to visit the Presidential Search web site, where you’ll find a detailed list of Oberlin’s key needs and priorities, as well as a set of desired attributes for a new president.
If you know someone who could effectively serve as Oberlin’s next president, please nominate him or her by contacting our search consultant,
Tom Courtice, by e-mail at tom.courtice@academic-search.com or by phone at (614) 405-9209. If you would like a printed copy of the search profile, please call the Alumni Association at (440) 775-8692. We will continue to provide updates on the search process, both in this magazine and on the Presidential Search web site.
President Dye’s decision to retire after 13 years provides a time of natural transition. As you will read on page 14, we are in the process of implementing our strategic plan, and the opportunities and challenges in Oberlin’s future are fresh in the minds of everyone. The broad strategic directions have been set. It will be the vision and creativity of Oberlin’s next president that will lead the institution, transforming a statement of direction into new institutional achievements.
As always, I thank you for your continued support and interest in Oberlin College. Look to your spring issue of this magazine for a full exploration of Nancy Dye’s distinguished presidency.