A Dallas firm was selected by the Arizona Board of Regents to help identify prospective presidential candidates for the University of Arizona, it was announced Friday.
R. William Funk & Associates is an executive search firm specializing in higher education executive recruitment, according to a news release.
The release did not state how much the firm will be paid because the contract has not been finalized.
UA President Ann Weaver Hart recently announced she will step down as president and stay on as a faculty member when her presidential contract expires in June 2018.
A new UA president is expected to be in place by next summer.
It’s unclear what Hart’s role would be during the final year of her contract if a president takes over in 2017.
R. William Funk, the founder and president of the firm, will be the lead in the search. The firm has conducted more than 400 searches for university and college presidents, and chancellors over the last 35 years, the release says.
As part of the commitment to the UA presidential search, the firm confirmed that no other search for a university president is being conducted at this time.
Eileen Klein, Arizona Board of Regents president, said she was pleased Funk’s firm was selected “as the consultant to support the board as it selects the next president of the University of Arizona.”
Klein said Funk “is committed to taking into account the needs of the university, the faculty and the community, as well as the thoughts and wishes of those who hold the university and its students close to their hearts.”
In the release, Funk said the “firm will adhere to the highest standards of professional ethics, procedures and practices regarding the search, with a commitment to diversity and excellence.”
In the coming weeks, the board of regents will select and announce its search advisory committee members, approve and publish search guidelines and publish a leadership profile.
