The MIT presidential search process is proceeding with determination and focus toward identifying "the best candidate out there" to succeed Charles M. Vest.
So said the chairs of the two committees leading the search for the 16th president of the Institute as they embark on a summer of continuing work of narrowing the field and settling on a single candidate.
"We're very pleased to have this strong set of candidates," said Professor Jerome Friedman, chair of the Faculty Advisory Committee to the Corporation on the presidential search. "The committees will be working through the summer and will be in discussions with fewer and fewer candidates as we go forward."
Search committee members have no specific deadline for finishing their task. "We're going to give it the time it needs," said James Champy, chair of consulting for Perot Systems Corp., who heads the Corporation Committee on the Presidency.
Since then, a large percentage of the MIT community has been "fully engaged in the process," Champy said. "That activity has been broad and of high quality. From alumni to Lincoln Lab, there has been extensive and very active expression of views. Students have been very insightful, helpful and just superb."
Although there have been rumors and media speculation both on and off campus that the candidate has been found, the committees have been operating from the beginning in closed-door sessions and will continue to do so until a candidate is selected, Corporation members are notified and a vote is taken.
A version of this article appeared in MIT Tech Talk on June 9, 2004 (download PDF).
