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UC President Michael V. Drake, M.D., has formed a search committee to conduct a national search for a new chancellor to lead UC Santa Barbara.

Selecting the next chancellor for UCSB is a critically important endeavor. The entire process will take several months and is anticipated to conclude in the spring of 2025. While time is a factor, ultimately the most important goal is to find the best individual to lead UCSB. 

On November 5, 2024, UC President Michael V. Drake, M.D., announced the formation of a search advisory committee of University faculty, staff, students, alumni and foundation representatives and Regents to help in the national search for a new chancellor to lead UCSB.

Per Regents Policy 7102: Policy on Appointment of Chancellors, the search advisory committee has been charged with advising the President during the chancellor selection process, working through a several month endeavor of listening to input from the community, considering potential candidates, and sharing feedback and evaluations with the President. After the committee has completed committee interviews of prospective candidates, it will recommend semi-finalists for interviews with the President.  He will make his finalist recommendation to the Regents for their consideration and approval.

Consistent with Regents Policy 7102: Policy on Appointment of Chancellors, the President requests UC Board of Regents chancellor search appointments, and nominations and appointments from additional key stakeholder groups to form the search advisory committee.

Yes. Per Regents Policy 7102: Policy on Appointment of Chancellors, the search advisory committee consists of:

• The President of the University, who will serve ex-officio;
• The Chair of the Board, who will serve ex-officio;
• Five Regents appointed by the Chair of the Board;
• Five faculty – one being either the Chair or Vice Chair of the systemwide Academic Senate; one faculty member from a campus other than the one that is the subject of the search, chosen from a panel submitted by the Academic Senate’s Universitywide Committee on Committees; and three campus faculty members chosen from a panel submitted by the campus Academic Senate Committee on Committees;
• One graduate and one undergraduate student appointed by the respective graduate and undergraduate student associations of the campus;
• One alumni representative appointed by the alumni association of the campus;
• One Foundation representative chosen by the President from a panel of names submitted by the Campus Foundation; and
• A staff employee representative of the campus chosen by the President from a panel of no less than three names submitted by the Campus Staff Assembly.

All members of the search advisory committee are invited to attend and fully participate in all committee search processes and meetings.

The search advisory committee will be involved in recruiting, screening, and conducting committee interviews with candidates for the position. The committee will participate in Campus Day, Town Halls, and listening sessions to garner constituent feedback and broad understanding of the needs and requirements for this chancellor. They consider criteria and outreach strategy, and work together with the President – building on the initial review of the nomination review subcommittee (see FAQ: What is the role of the nomination review subcommittee?) – to identify a pool of candidates for search advisory committee interviews.  The committee conducts candidate interviews, then provides feedback to the President, including a recommendation of finalists who will progress in the search process.

Search advisory committee members may volunteer to serve in the search process as members of the nomination review subcommittee. After the search firm conducts the initial screening of potential candidates, the nomination review subcommittee completes a secondary screening to ensure they meet the required position qualifications. The nomination review subcommittee recommends qualified candidates for the full search advisory committee’s consideration. 

The chancellor Position Profile is developed through a collaborative effort by the search advisory committee, stakeholders, campus constituents and community groups.

The chancellor search website serves as the official, central hub of news and information related to the search and includes an overview of the search process and timeline. The chancellor search process is confidential and progress updates will not be provided.

It is a common national practice to preserve the confidentiality of nominees and candidates during and after chancellor or president searches for colleges and universities and produces the best outcome for the campus. For many prospective candidates, particularly sitting chancellors and presidents at other institutions, participating in a process that is not confidential would put their professional standing at risk. As a result, many such candidates will not participate in a process that does not preserve the confidentiality of their candidacy. By maintaining a confidential search process, UC ensures it can successfully engage the largest and most diverse set of candidates and maximizes its competitive position among other similar searches that may be occurring nationally.

Yes. On Tuesday, November 19, the search advisory committee will convene in person for the first time. The committee’s first in-person meeting is Campus Day, where the committee receives presentations from a wide range of campus constituencies, including campus leadership, faculty, students and staff. 

In addition to Campus Day, town hall sessions will be held virtually on November 20, 2024, to provide additional opportunities for input into the search advisory committee’s work. During these sessions, members of the search advisory committee receive input from students, faculty, staff, and alumni. The community and the public are also invited to share their input via an online survey or email through the end of December 2024, and nominations and referrals via email through January 2024.  All input, nominations and referrals are confidential and will be shared for use only by the search advisory committee and the search firm.  

The nomination review subcommittee will review nominations and applicants’ materials. The nomination review subcommittee forwards prospective candidates that meet all Position Profile identified required qualifications and are most aligned to the Position Profile to the full search advisory committee for review. These prospective candidates emerge in a number of ways:

Nominations.

If you are interested in nominating a potential candidate, please submit their name to: UCSBchancellor@greenwoodsearch.com

Advertisements.

An advertisement announcing the position will be posted online to various job boards that include, but not limited to, the Chronicle of Higher Education, Diverse Issues in Higher Education, American Association of Blacks in Higher Education, Asians in Higher Education, Hispanic Outlook, Women in Higher Education, Insight into Diversity, Hire Veterans as well as the search firm’s website.

Research strategy.

With assistance from the search advisory committee, the search firm utilizes a robust research strategy to identify qualified individuals. The research strategy includes: chancellors/presidents and provosts at Association of American Universities, top research institutions, flagship state universities, top ranked national and public universities, top ranked international universities, Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander and Hispanic Serving Institutions,  Historically Black Colleges and Universities; deans and other leaders at top ranked national and public universities; civic leaders at the federal and state level; and chief executives of large foundations and non-profits.

Yes. The President and the search advisory committee strongly encourage all members of the UCSB community to nominate individuals, whether from the campus, the UC, or from across the globe. Nominations should be submitted via email to UCSBchancellor@greenwoodsearch.com. All nominations are confidential and will be reviewed and considered.  

The search advisory committee and the President will work together to identify candidates for committee interviews. Following the interviews, the search advisory committee will provide feedback to the President about each candidate and recommend finalists to progress in the search process. Once UC President Michael V. Drake, M.D., has selected a final candidate to bring to the UC Board of Regents for approval, the President shall meet with the Regent members of the Committee to inform them of the candidate, prior to making the recommendation to the UC Board of Regents for consideration and approval. 

The President is anticipated to make a final candidate recommendation to the UC Board of Regents in the spring of 2025.

This is a confidential search and the names of candidates will only be known by the search advisory committee. Once UC President Michael V. Drake, M.D., has selected a final candidate to bring to the UC Board of Regents for approval, the President shall meet with the Regent members of the Committee to inform them of the candidate, prior to making the recommendation to the UC Board of Regents for consideration and approval. After UC Board of Regents approval, the UC Office of the President will send a press release that will be shared on the UCSB Chancellor Search website. 

It is a common national practice to preserve the confidentiality of nominees and candidates during and after chancellor or president searches for colleges and universities and produces the best outcome for the campus. For many prospective candidates, particularly sitting chancellors and presidents at other institutions, participating in a process that is not confidential would put their professional standing at risk. As a result, many such candidates will not participate in a process that does not preserve the confidentiality of their candidacy. By maintaining a confidential search process, UC ensures it can successfully engage the largest and most diverse set of candidates and maximizes its competitive position among other similar searches that may be occurring nationally.

Yes. The search will be assisted by the executive search firm Greenwood Asher & Associates, a national firm with considerable experience in university chancellor and presidential searches. 

Greenwood Asher & Associates information:  Greenwood Asher & Associates (GA&A) is a full-service, retained search firm founded in 2004 by Dr. Jan Greenwood and Dr. Betty Asher, who have both served as tenured professors and university presidents. They have shared their deep understanding of the organizational structures and challenges within higher education with the GA&A team. This shared knowledge has provided a solid foundation for our continued growth through evidence-based process and commitment to diversity. Their pioneering spirit has created opportunities for hundreds of leaders during the past 30 years. 

Jim Johnsen, Vice President of Executive Search at Greenwood Asher & Associates, will be leading a team of experienced executive search consultants in executing the search. Jim and his team have successfully led searches to fill a variety of positions in higher education, including presidents, chancellors, vice presidents, deans and other leadership positions.
 

The search firm serves as staff to the search advisory committee and plays no role in deciding what candidates should move forward in their search process. Their role is to help identify potential candidates; reach out to potential candidates to determine interest (with permission from the search advisory committee); to conduct research and due diligence on candidates; and to help facilitate the work of the search advisory committee, including posting advertisements, preparing materials, and assisting with meeting logistics.

For general questions please contact UCSBchancellorsearch@ucop.edu.