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Newport News — Over 15 people sat in the boardroom Friday in David Student Union, starting the one-year process to find Christopher Newport University’s sixth president.
During its second meeting, the university’s presidential search committee met to roll out initial plans for the next 12 months.
Board of Visitors Rector Robert Hatten appointed 15 people — including board members, faculty, staff, alumni and students — in December to serve on the committee. They are expected to seek applicants from across the country, at CNU and other institutions.
The university hired consultant Martin Baker to assist in finding a replacement for Paul Trible, who is retiring after leading CNU for 26 years.
Baker broke down the quest’s timeline into five parts: planning, recruitment, applicant review, interviews and selection.
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Up until May, Baker said he and participating members will survey faculty, students and other stakeholders online and through open forums to draft an outline of an ideal candidate. The committee isn’t expected to start interviewing semifinalists until late fall.
“This will be challenging. History suggests that it is very difficult to find a president who can be successful succeeding a transformational president like Paul,” Hatten wrote in statement to the university last September.
Trible was appointed CNU’s president in 1996 after serving as a U.S. Representative for three terms and a U.S. Senator for one. Board members expressed the next president will have large shoes to fill. Hatten told Trible during the board December meeting he is “an example that will be impossible to replace.”
Committee members will recommend between two and five finalists to the Board of Visitors by March 2023. The group agreed candidates will only be discussed during closed session to keep applicants from withdrawing before a final decision.
CNU Chief of Staff Adelia Thompson will serve as interim president starting July 1, and Trible will take on a temporary chancellor position for the 2022-23 academic year.
The next committee meeting is slated for March 11 to discuss feedback and finalize a profile draft before presenting it to the board.
Sierra Jenkins, 229-462-8896, sierra.jenkins@virginiamedia.com