USM Chancellor Perman Appoints Presidential Search Committee for SU
Baltimore, MD (Dec. 10, 2021) – Jay A. Perman, chancellor of the University System of Maryland (USM), has appointed—and the USM Board of Regents has approved—the search and screening committee for the new president of Salisbury University. Current Salisbury President Chuck Wight will continue to lead the university through his retirement date of June 30, 2022.
In beginning the search for Wight’s replacement, the Board of Regents is committed to finding a successor who will continue his legacy as a leader who focused on educational access and affordability, building a culture of diversity and inclusion, and strengthening community and business partnerships.
USM Regent Robert Rauch will chair the Salisbury University Presidential Search and Screening Committee, which has been chosen to reflect the SU community with representation among students, faculty, staff, alumni, and other institutional stakeholders. The committee’s work will result in the submission of a short list of the most-qualified presidential candidates for the Board of Regents to consider. More information regarding the SU presidential search process can be found here.
“I’m so grateful to Regent Rauch and the entire search committee,” said Chancellor Perman. “Of course, it’s a challenge to identify a leader who will sustain the progress SU has made under President Wight, who will continue that trajectory of quality and prominence. But it’s also an extraordinary opportunity to shape Salisbury’s next chapter. I’m thrilled we have so many people on the search committee really excited to undertake this work.”
The members of the committee are:
Robert Rauch, Search Committee Chair—Regent, University System of Maryland
Louise Anderson—Associate Professor, Music
Thomas Cawthern—Associate Professor, Geography and Geosciences
Vanessa Collins ’02, ‘04—Chair, Staff Senate, Research Accounting & Compliance
Gerry DiBartolo—Director, Athletics and Campus Recreation
Mike Dunn ‘84—President/CEO, Greater Salisbury Committee
Michele Garigliano ‘83—Chair, SU Foundation Board of Directors
Beatriz Hardy—Dean, Libraries and Instructional Resources
Julius Jones ’06, ‘09—Executive Officer, FEMA
Lili Leonard ’09, ‘11—President, SU Alumni Association
Deneen Long-White—Assistant Professor, Public Health
Yuki Okubo—Associate Professor, Psychology
Tyler Patton ’05, ‘08—Senior Vice President, Maryland Broadband Cooperative
Alexander Pope—Associate Professor, Secondary and Physical Education
Tina Reid—Professor, Nursing
Tim Robinson ’93, ‘06—Chair, Adjunct Faculty Caucus, History
Margaret Sebastian—Director, TRIO Student Support Services
Corey Sharp—IT Support Associate, Information Technology
Andy Smarick—Regent, University System of Maryland
Jessica Strange ‘20—President, Graduate Student Council
Christy Weer ‘96—Dean, Perdue School of Business
Sonya Whited—Director, Perdue Farms
Andrew Wilson—President, Student Government Association
The committee will work with the national leadership recruiting firm Academic Search, and is being staffed by USM Senior Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs and Student Life JoAnn Boughman. A biographical page for President Wight is here.
The committee's work will conclude with its recommendation of finalists for consideration by the chancellor and the Board of Regents. The board will make the final selection. Historically, the search process for a president at most USM institutions has taken four to six months.
Members of the campus and greater communities are invited to submit nominations for outstanding individuals they would like to be considered as SU’s next leader to SU-president-search@usmd.edu.