Joint president search enters final stages

The search for a joint president has reached the finalist stage.

The joint president search committee conducted finalist interviews in mid-February and is on track to narrow the search to a final candidate in late February, according to the presidential search webpage. Presidential search coordinator Tonya Hougen confirmed the search is at this stage.

“…We received strong interest in the presidential role including many strong candidates submitting applications…We are pleased with the progress of the search to date,” said Bennett Morgan and Terry Dolan, co-chairs of the presidential search committee, in a Jan. 21 update.

The pursuit of one president for CSB and SJU began in early 2019 when both Boards of Trustees formed a Joint Strategic Vision committee. The committee decided stronger integration between CSB and SJU with a single governing president is the best way forward for the schools. The search picked up speed this academic year with a presidential search committee formed in August 2021, approval received for a stronger integration model from the Higher Learning Commission in November 2021 and presidential finalist interviews conducted this past week.

One goal of a single president is to promote unity between the schools, and students are hopeful the joint president will realize this vision.

“One thing I’d like to see from the joint president is someone who embraces the value of both campuses—of both Bennies and Johnnies—and unifies the bond between the two campuses,” SJU senior Elijah Peterson said.

Some students hope that by unifying the campuses, a joint president and stronger integration model can also break down the gender binaries of CSB/SJU.

“One of the aspects I like the least in this school is those gendered terms and that binary that we obviously have because of having a men’s campus and a women’s campus,” CSB senior Nicole Lefebvre said. “I think that is a little bit outdated for 2022. We base a lot of stuff on gender on on this campus and I think we need to be better about inclusivity.”

The aspects of campus where students are hoping to see change include the gendered language, separate applications and housing.

“When you apply you have to pick specifically one [campus] and you can’t switch it. I just think there is a better way to make that more inclusive and less separated as a whole since we are two coordinate colleges,” CSB first-year Riley Engle said.

Students also hope the joint president will work towards racial inclusivity.

Lefebvre talked about the microaggressions BIPOC students on campus face and expressed hope that the joint president will take action to make all students feel included.

“Administration doesn’t always do a lot of progressive things about [microagressions against BIPOC students]. I think more consequences for those types of actions is something the joint president should get into,” Lefebvre said.

One way students envision the joint president fostering inclusivity is by getting to know students on a personal level.

CSB senior, Gabi Lott recalls the personal outreach from former CSB President Mary Dana Hinton who served from 2014 to 2020. Lott said Hinton invited students to the president’s house and baked cookies while they studied for finals.

“I definitely think that made a difference for me as a freshman,” Lott said. “I felt a part of CSB/SJU, and I would hope that the new president would have an interest in getting to know students on a personal level like Mary Dana Hinton did.”

Along with creating a unified community between CSB and SJU, the joint president is also tasked with ensuring each schools’ needs are fulfilled. CSB first-year Izzy Bui and SJU first-year Dylan Cummings both see this as a potential challenge for the joint president.

“I think a big concern…is whether both St. John’s and St. Ben’s are going to be valued in terms of what they want to see on a campus. For example, I think St. John’s is a little more well-known than St. Ben’s, and I just want to make sure that the president…recognizes that we’re one college but we have different needs,” Bui said.

Cummings also hopes the joint president sees the differences in what each school needs for leadership.

“[The joint president will] look over both schools while also trying to maintain that idea of doing what’s best for each school individually because there are different perspectives on what each school needs,” Cummings said.

The next step in the search for the joint president are the Boards of Trustees selecting a candidate in March, followed by the Monasteries approving the final candidate. The contract is scheduled to be negotiated in late March, with the new president slated to take up the reins on July 1.