updated 08.07.07
Board of Trustees Chair Anna Quindlen '74 Announces
Presidential Search Committee
To the members of the Barnard College Community:
We are beginning the important work of finding a worthy successor to Judith R. Shapiro, who will step down at the end of the 2007-2008 academic year after serving in such an exemplary fashion for 14 years as president of the College. As someone who sat on the search committee that chose President Shapiro, I can tell you that while a presidential search can be arduous, it is also an unparalleled opportunity for a great institution to sharpen its sense of historical mission and vision. I look forward to that process with great enthusiasm.
I wanted to share with you our progress so far and solicit your help and advice. I am delighted to report that Helene L. Kaplan '53, former chair of the board, and Jolyne Caruso-Fitzgerald '81, co-chair of the board's Institutional Advancement Committee, have agreed to lead the search committee. After much discussion and deliberation, they have assembled a stellar group that represents all segments of the Barnard community.
They will be joined by three other trustees: Pat Nadosy, '68; Diana Vagelos, '55; and Jim Dow P'10. Judy Dimon P'09 will serve on the committee as well. Also joining us are two alumnae: Nancy Garvey '71, a member of the President's Advisory Committee, and Augusta Kappner '66, the president of Bank Street College of Education.
The faculty has chosen tenured professors from four departments to represent them: Mary Gordon, '71, English; Stephanie Pfirman, environmental science; Elizabeth Castelli, religion; and Rajiv Sethi, economics. Dean Marjorie Silverman will serve on the committee as well.
Mai Eldib '08, the senior student representative to the board, and Laura Stoffel '08, the president of the Student Government Association, will represent Barnard students.
I will be on the committee in my capacity as chair of the Board of Trustees.
We are also happy to announce that the firm of Spencer Stuart will assist us in the search. The Spencer Stuart team is composed of Jennifer Bol, Anne Coyle, Michele Haertel, and Kristine Johnson, all members of the firm's Education, Nonprofit & Public Policy Practice. The firm's recent work includes searches for the presidents of Wesleyan University, Agnes Scott College, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Of course we are also counting on the assistance of members of the Barnard community. Obviously the 11th president of the college must be someone with considerable gifts of both mind and heart, a charismatic intellectual deeply committed to the value of single-sex education for women. We have set up a process that allows you to share with us the names of candidates you believe possess these attributes – you can do so by visiting www.barnard.edu/president/search. There you will find news and updates regarding the search process. In the meantime, Jolyne, Helene, and I look forward to keeping all of you posted on the committee's progress as we seek that person talented and fortunate enough to be chosen to lead the most selective college for women in the country.
Anna Quindlen '74
Chair, Board of Trustees
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