UW President Dick McGinity announced today he is advising UW’s board of trustees to begin the search for a new university president to take his place upon the conclusion of his contract in 2016.
The announcement came via a UW news release. In the announcement McGinity thanked his staff and the university for the leadership opportunity.
“It’s an honor and a privilege to have been entrusted with the leadership of this wonderful institution at a critical point in its history,” McGinity said. “I am grateful to my administrative team and the faculty for their tireless and self-sacrificing work. I am also grateful to my partner, Susan Berman, for her enthusiastic support of me and the university during this time.”
McGinity recommended an eventual search for a new president during the March 25-27 board of trustees meeting, but did not make a public announcement until now out of “deference to the deaths of two students on campus,” according to the news release.
Following the resignation of former UW President Robert Sternberg in November 2013, the board of trustees appointed McGinity to be UW’s 25th president on Jan. 16, 2014. Board of Trustees President Dave Palmerlee said in a release that McGinity’s appointment came at a critical time for the university.
“President McGinity stepped up at an extremely challenging time in UW’s history,” Palmerlee said. “Under his leadership, we have made progress on many fronts, including the university’s relationship with the Legislature and the state’s community colleges.”
Palmerlee also said he plans to create a committee of the board of trustees to “fashion a recommendation to the full board regarding the details of the search process.”
Palmerlee said finalists for the position would be publicly identified, unlike the last search for a university president.
“The board has not determined many of the details of the search process, but we are in agreement on one point: We intend for the search to follow an ‘open’ approach, in which finalists are publicly identified,” Palmerlee said.
McGinity said he intends to return to the faculty of the College of Business after he finishes his time as UW President.
