Pepperdine’s presidential search committee is hard at work finding a president who will lead the university as its eighth president. A team from the Board of Regents and administration will be carefully reviewing applications in the months to come.
“The university is ready for its eighth president, and so am I,” said President Andrew K. Benton as he welcomed back faculty at their annual retreat, Aug. 20.
The committee is searching for an individual who is focused on Pepperdine’s Christian mission and academic reputation, Vice President and Chief of Staff Marnie Mitze, who serves as the senior staff liaison to the search committee, wrote in an email to the Graphic.
“[We’re searching for] a president with an unwavering commitment to our Christian mission as well as academic excellence [and] a heart for our students,” Mitze wrote. “I look forward to welcoming our next president and their vision for the future.”
The search committee has enlisted the help of search firm Korn Ferry to aide in the selection process, according to a press release issued Aug. 1, by Pepperdine Chair Dale Brown and Vice Chair Harold Smethills.
Applications are being accepted until Oct. 12 and finalists for the position will be announced by the selection committee in early January, before the committee conducts interviews. In March, they will announce their final decision and in July of 2019, the new president will effectively take office, according to the ChronicleVitae (a job search network) page describing the position.
“The next President must chart a course that allows Pepperdine to continue a role of rising national academic leadership while serving the Churches of Christ as both an anchor and a guide,” according to the ChronicleVitae page.
Included in the listed criteria is a history of financial responsibility and the ability to make difficult decisions.
All inquiries can be directed to pepperdinepresident@kornferry.com.
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