The Fort Lewis College Board of Trustees has assembled a 15-person search committee looking for the school’s next president.
On July 30, the college announced the formation of the search committee tasked with finding a replacement for former president Tom Stritikus.
Stritikus announced his departure from the school March 26 for the same position at Occidental College in Los Angeles, California. The college took swift action notifying students and staff that Vice President of Finance and Administration Steven Schwartz would become the interim college president on April 1.
Schwartz told The Durango Herald in April that he has no interest in taking on the role permanently.
Weeks away from the first day of classes, a candidate has yet to be named and it appears the college intends to ramp up search efforts in September.
In a letter to students and faculty, chair of the Presidential Search Committee Janet Lopez said the board has spent the summer planning the search process and assembling the presidential search committee in order to launch the search when everyone returns in the fall.
“In September, we will conduct open forums and listening sessions to gather your input,” she said. “When we finalize the date for the listening sessions, we will update you with the times and locations. We very much value and look forward to your participation.”
The committee will serve in an advisory role to select FLC's next president and includes representatives from the board of trustees, the FLC Foundation Board, faculty, staff and students, as well as a statewide community partner from the Colorado Health foundation.
The board has also enlisted help from executive recruiting firm Buffkin/Baker to support the search. Buffkin/Baker has conducted over 900 executive searches for universities and colleges, according to a Fort Lewis College news release.
Attempts to reach the college for further comment regarding the search were unsuccessful Thursday.
tbrown@durangoherald.com
