By Shelby Brown —
The Presidential Search Faculty Consultation Committee is planning an open meeting for the campus community to hear from members of the board to get updates on the search. The session is scheduled for March 22 at 4:30 p.m. in Strickler Hall’s Middleton Theater.
“We hope this process will continue to develop dialogue and discussion aimed toward building a positive and thriving future for the University of Louisville,” the PSFCC said in an email.
U of L spokesperson John Karman said it’s not known yet which trustees will attend the hour-long session, but board chair David Grissom is expected.
The trustees held four listening tours in January on the Belknap and Health Science campus to gain community input before creating the job description for U of L’s next president. The listening tours allowed for a slight opening into the otherwise closed search. After hearing the campus and community’s desire for candidates to visit campus, the board said finalists who opt to not meet publicly will meet with faculty representative groups.
The listening tours drew more than 100 people over four sessions as constituents described their ideal presidential traits and demanding transparency in the search.
The closed nature of the search has been a point of contention since it was announced as such in Sept. 2017. The Louisville chapter of the American Association for University Professors expressed its distaste in almost 20 letters to the trustees and by protesting at a meeting.
The search for a new president began almost nine months after Greg Postel was named Interim President, following the ousting of former president James Ramsey. Ramsey resigned in July 2016 amidst scandals of racism and misspending that came to light after the release of the foundation’s audit last year.
When he took the position, Postel said he wasn’t planning to pursue the permanent role. Since that time, he has applied and is now in the pool of 10 finalist candidates.
File photo / The Louisville Cardinal
