The search for University of Arizona President Ann Weaver Hart's replacement will be led by what some might call an odd couple: one of Hart's staunchest critics alongside one of her biggest fans.
Ron Shoopman
Arizona Board of Regents member Bill Ridenour of Paradise Valley, a UA alumnus and former fundraising trustee and the only regent to publicly question Hart's job performance, will chair the search committee for the school's next leader.
Tucson Regent Ron Shoopman, the longtime CEO of the Southern Arizona Leadership Council who regularly praises Hart at regents' meetings, will serve as vice chair of the search effort.
The two were appointed by Regent Greg Patterson of Scottsdale, who recently took over as chairman of the board and also is a Hart supporter.
Ann Weaver Hart
Patterson, asked in an email why he chose a pair of search leaders with divergent views of the current UA president, said he is seeking diverse perspectives that they will be able to provide due to their extensive community connections.
Ridenour said he and Shoopman respect each other and predicts they will "work very well together.
"He is very involved in the Tucson business community and that will be an important constituency" to connect with during the search, Ridenour said.
The search committee also will include outside members but those appointments have yet to be determined.
Hart announced June 10 she plans to step down as president in 2018 when her contract expires. Some regents have said she could be replaced next year once a new leader is aboard
Ridenour said in an email interview that before the next president is hired, he intends to seek a change to the policy that allowed Hart to accept a paid post on the board of for-profit DeVry University and hold onto it despite months of public opposition.
The current policy allows university presidents to moonlight wherever they choose without regents permission. Their contracts state only that they must give top priority to their day jobs, which Hart has said she is doing.
The regents also are issuing a request for proposal to hire a search consultant to aid in the effort.
