Winthrop search group to have first look at presidential applicants
Some Winthrop University trustees and the campus’ elected faculty representative will begin reviewing applications for the school’s presidency this week during a private meeting.
The university is searching for its 11th president to replace former President Jamie Comstock Williamson, who was fired last summer after spending less than one year in office. Since then, the school’s top academic official, Provost Debra Boyd, has been serving as acting president.
On Thursday, an eight-member search committee charged with leading the recruitment and presidential selection effort will meet behind closed doors to look at candidate application materials for the first time. School officials say no vote will be taken.
Winthrop Board of Trustees Chairwoman Kathy Bigham is co-chairing the search committee with John Bird, an English professor and the elected faculty representative to the board. Other search committee members include six Winthrop trustees. The final decision on choosing a president rests with the school’s 13-member Board of Trustees.
A private recruiter and presidential search consultant, Bill Funk of Texas, was hired last year to help the Winthrop board find candidates and steer the process. Winthrop has hired a different consultant than the firm that was chosen in 2012 to lead the search for retired President Anthony DiGiorgio’s successor.
That 2012 to early 2013 search process lasted about eight months, with Williamson unanimously selected in February 2013. This time, university officials expect the search will span about six months, with a successful candidate chosen in the spring.
Sometime in February, the school may announce a group of three to five finalists for the presidency. Those finalists would be invited to Rock Hill for on-campus, public interviews and presentations.
This week, the university released a news statement about Thursday’s meeting but did not say how many applications the search group will review.
During the last presidential search, nearly 100 people applied for the job. The 2012-13 search committee then narrowed that pool to about 40 candidates, then 12, then to four finalists.
During the previous search, Winthrop officials held initial candidate interviews in-person in Charlotte before hosting finalists in Rock Hill. This year, it’s expected similar interviews will be held outside of Rock Hill before on-campus visits are scheduled.
While moving ahead with the search for a new president, trustees also are still engaged in a legal dispute with Williamson, the former president. The board unanimously voted to fire Williamson last June amid several allegations of ethical issues. Williamson has threatened to sue and she claims Winthrop breached her five-year employment contract.
The university has spent more than $32,000 on legal costs since firing Williamson. That money has come from Winthrop’s operating budget, said school spokesman Jeff Perez.
One attempt in November at mediation failed. Williamson and Winthrop mutually agreed to employ attorney Jack Griffeth, of Greenville’s Collins & Lacy law firm, to conduct mediation.
Griffeth serves as general counsel for Wofford College, Furman University and Spartanburg Methodist College. He specializes in torts, contracts and employment mediation, according to the law firm’s website.
The cost of the mediation session has not yet been released.
Williamson could choose to start arbitration with the university to settle the dispute. This week, Perez said Winthrop’s attorney had not yet received a request from Williamson to begin arbitration.
This story was originally published January 8, 2015 at 7:52 AM with the headline "Winthrop search group to have first look at presidential applicants."