Press Release - Korn/Ferry International's William Funk Named Consultant for Chancellor Search
August 1, 2001
Korn/Ferry International's William Funk Named Consultant for Chancellor Search
R. William "Bill" Funk, managing director of Korn/Ferry
International's education and not-for-profit executive search practice, has
been hired to assist in the search for a new chancellor for the University
System of Maryland (USM). USM Board of Regents Chairman Nathan A. Chapman Jr.
said today that Funk will provide advice and counsel to the 18-member search
committee, which was tasked last May with identifying candidates for the
position. Korn/Ferry, based in Dallas, TX, was the successful respondent to an
extensive request for proposal (RFP) for a consultant to assist in the search.
Funk will meet with the committee in the fall.
"Bill Funk is at the forefront of executive searches for many of the
most important jobs in American higher education," Chapman said. "He
is widely seen as having the expertise and the intuition to help find the most
appropriate candidates for leading a variety of institutions. When we started
this process we said we wanted to find the very best candidates for this key
position, and with Bill's help I am certain we will."
Chapman chairs the search committee, which includes five members of the USM
Board of Regents, three presidents of USM institutions, four representatives of
USM faculty and staff, and five members of the public. The committee will review
nominations and applications for the position, conduct interviews with
candidates it determines are most qualified, and forward three to five
candidates to the full Board of Regents, which will make the final selection.
The new chancellor will succeed Donald N. Langenberg, who will retire on April
30, 2002.
The search committee's RFP states that the consulting firm will work with
the committee to "identify, articulate, and prioritize evaluation criteria
for candidates." Once a list of candidates has been identified, the firm
will "support the evaluation process ... by working closely with the
Committee and its staff by guiding discussions of the candidate's
qualifications and desirability for the position."
Funk recently recruited former U.S. Secretary for Health and Human Services
Donna Shalala to the presidency of the University of Miami, and has conducted
recent searches for the presidents or chancellors of Vanderbilt, Purdue, and
Bucknell universities, as well as for the University of Missouri System, the
University of Maryland, College Park, and the University of Wisconsin.
The University System of Maryland is the nation's 12th largest university
system. The USM's 11 degree-granting institutions and 2 research institutes
enroll nearly 130,000 students worldwide in 600 degree programs delivered in
classrooms, laboratories, education centers, and online. The USM's nationally
ranked programs, leading-edge research collaborations, and innovative business
partnerships support the USM mission and the goals of the USM Strategic Plan in
preparing students for the promises and demands of the new century.
Additional information about Bill Funk and Korn/Ferry International is
available on the Web at www.kornferry.com. Additional information about the search
for a new USM chancellor is available on the Web at www.usmd.edu.
- USM -
The University System of Maryland is governed by a 17-member Board of
Regents and includes 13 distinct and complementary institutions: Bowie State
University; Coppin State College; Frostburg State University; Salisbury
State University; Towson University, University of Baltimore; University of
Maryland, Baltimore; University of Maryland, Baltimore County; University of
Maryland Biotechnology Institute; University of Maryland Center for
Environmental Science; University of Maryland, College Park; University of
Maryland Eastern Shore; and University of Maryland University College.
Contact:
Chris Hart
Phone: 301/445-2739
E-mail: chart@usmd.edu
