USC gets outside help in its search for a new president
The University of South Carolina made a significant move to propel its search for a new president.
On Tuesday, USC announced it hired a consulting firm to help it recruit candidates for the job currently held by interim president Harris Pastides.
R. William Funk & Associates specializes in recruitment for roles in higher education and will begin its work for USC immediately, university officials said in a news release.
USC and the recruiting firm
“During the past two decades, no higher education search firm has had a greater impact on college and university leadership nationally than (R. William Funk & Associates) and its consultants,” the firm said on its website. “We have conducted a significant number of the most important university and system President, Provost, VP, and Dean searches in the nation.”
R. William “Bill” Funk will lead the recruiting effort for USC. That includes interacting with candidates and reporting directly to USC’s search committee and the university’s board of trustees, according to the release.
USC has worked with the Dallas-based consulting firm in the past.
University officials said the firm assisted USC with its presidential search in 2008, when Pastides was hired.
R. William Funk & Associates also recruited Joan Gabel to be provost at USC in 2015, according to the release. Gabel is now president of the University of Minnesota.
“Funk & Associates has extensive experience conducting successful searches for university presidents and chancellors across the United States. The firm’s recruiting strategies have helped place many impressive candidates, including minorities and women, at leading universities throughout the country and within South Carolina,” Ernest Jenkins, chair of the Faculty Senate for the Palmetto College campuses and a member of the Presidential Candidate Search Committee, said in the release. “These advantages, and their history of outreach to members of university communities, make them a compelling choice to assist us.”
Track record
The firm recruited the current presidents of some of the other biggest schools in South Carolina, including Jim Clements at Clemson University and Andrew Tsu to the College of Charleston, according to the release.
The consulting firm has the support of Alex Harrell, a member of the search committee and the student body president of the main USC campus in Columbia.
“I’m impressed by Bill Funk’s overall track record placing chief executives at great colleges and universities in a timely but thorough manner, and I appreciate just how diverse those placements have been across time,” Harrell said in the release. “We’re confident in Mr. Funk and his team because he knows the state of South Carolina. He knows the Southeastern Conference, and he knows USC.”
Other universities that have used the firm to find leadership include Rutgers University, Ohio State University, University of Louisville, Indiana University, University of North Carolina, University of Virginia, Purdue University, Michigan State University, University of Texas and San Diego State University.
The new search
USC began its search for a new president in May, following the resignation of Bob Caslen.
Caslen resigned after he admitted plagiarizing a section of a graduation speech he delivered in early May. His selection in 2019 to succeed Pastides as president became controversial after South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster pushed the board to vote on Caslen, whom McMaster supported. McMaster’s involvement was scrutinized by USC’s accrediting agency as a potential “undue influence.”
A presidential candidate search committee was formed on May 21, and since then has held multiple meetings to create a leadership profile to be used to “advertise the position of president and to seek nominations and applications,” USC officials said.
There have been forums with students, staff, faculty at multiple USC campuses across the state, in addition to a session with the Executive Committee of the South Carolina Chamber of Commerce to discuss the search.
The search committee will continue to ask for feedback from university and community stakeholders through the the start of the fall semester, according to the release.
Also during that time, the consulting firm will recruit candidates from across the U.S. and internationally, conduct extensive background checks and set up interviews with the search committee, USC officials said.
“I am excited about the next steps in the process of finding the right candidate to lead our university because I know, with the help of Funk & Associates, we will find the best qualified person — from among a diverse pool of candidates — to deliver results for students, families, alumni, and the entire state,” said USC alum Lou Kennedy, who is the CEO and owner of Nephron Pharmaceuticals and an advisory member of the search committee.
What’s different in 2021
Critics of the 2019 presidential search argued the lack of diverse candidates — none of the four finalists in the search were women — was in part the result of a lack of diversity on the search committee.
That has led to some changes this time around.
On the current search committee, 15 of the 21 members or advisers are white, five are Black and one is Iranian. Seven are women. Four committee members represent campuses other than Columbia.
“We’re proud that the composition of this presidential search committee is the most inclusive in the university’s history,” USC spokesman Jeff Stensland told The State in June. “Our university community is very diverse, so it’s important that the search committee reflects that reality.”
Staff reporter Lucas Daprile contributed to this story.
BEHIND THE STORY
MOREThis is a breaking news story
In a breaking news situation, facts can be unclear and the situation may still be developing. The State is trying to get important information to the public as quickly and accurately as possible. This story will be updated as more information becomes available, and some information in this story may change as the facts become clearer. Refresh this page later for more updated information.
This story was originally published July 20, 2021 at 1:49 PM with the headline "USC gets outside help in its search for a new president."
