The Search and Review Procedures for Senior Administrators has a number of principles to guide all searches, including confidentiality, transparency and consultation. With a search for the next U of S President about to get underway, transparency and consultation—not confidentiality—needs to be front and centre for the Committee searching for our next President.

As the search process unfolds it will be entirely up to the Search Committee to determine whether the search will be confidential or open. Making the search open as soon as possible will be vital to get away from the top-down, behind-closed-doors approach that has seemed to overtake our institution in recent years.

The call has gone out to members of the General Academic Assembly (GAA) for expressions of interest to serve on the Search Committee for the President. The Nominations Committee of University Council needs to find four members of the GAA to be members of the Search Committee.

Consider expressing interest, or putting forward the names of colleagues, to serve on the Search Committee. You can also participate by letting the Administration and Search Committee know that the search should be open and transparent, including a list of applicants, public talks and interactions with the campus community.

Expressions of interest should be sent to sandra.calver@usask.ca by Thursday, September 25, 2014.