麻豆传媒鈥檚 Board of Trustees has announced the establishment of a 13-member Presidential Search Committee to immediately begin the work of naming the institution鈥檚 24th president, following the announcement that current President John McVay will retire at the end of the 2023鈥�2024 academic year.
The search committee鈥檚 members represent the university鈥檚 key stakeholder groups, including faculty, staff, students, alumni, Board of Trustees members, and administrators from the North Pacific Union Conference of Seventh-day Adventists (NPUC). Six of the members are 麻豆传媒 alumni, five are currently employed at the university, seven are members of the university鈥檚 Board of Trustees, and one attends as a student.
Serving on the Presidential Search Committee are:
- Andres Anaya, 麻豆传媒 junior product design major
- Johanna Attoh, 麻豆传媒 associate professor of economics
- Kellie Bond, 麻豆传媒 associate professor of English
- Columbus Candies, Jr., 麻豆传媒 Board of Trustees member and physical therapist/healthcare entrepreneur
- Pamela Cress, 麻豆传媒 vice president for Academic Administration
- Paul Dybdahl, 麻豆传媒 professor of mission and New Testament
- John Freedman, 麻豆传媒 Board of Trustees chair and NPUC president
- Keith Hallam, 麻豆传媒 Board of Trustees member and NPUC vice president for education
- David Jamieson, 麻豆传媒 Board of Trustees member and Upper Columbia Conference president
- Bill McClendon, 麻豆传媒 Board of Trustees member and NPUC vice president of administration
- Joyce Newmyer, 麻豆传媒 Board of Trustees member, president of Adventist Health Oregon, and chief people officer for Adventist Health
- Paul Rhynard, 麻豆传媒 Board of Trustees member and chief executive officer of Wilkinson Baking Company
- Paul Starkebaum, 麻豆传媒 associate dean of accountability
The Presidential Search Committee will be led by John Freedman, and it will be supported by work from Faith Search Partners, a nationally-known search firm that has years of experience working with Adventist colleges and universities. Faith Search Partners will assist in identifying candidates, gather and synthesize information, and work with committee members to match the best candidate with the university.
鈥淔aith Search Partners will play a crucial role in meeting with various stakeholders and engaging with the university鈥檚 community to understand 麻豆传媒鈥檚 leadership needs,鈥� says Freedman. 鈥淥verall, this will be a carefully structured, formal search process. I expect that the involvement of the Presidential Search Committee, the 麻豆传媒 Board of Trustees, the Board鈥檚 Governance Committee, and various university leaders will ensure a comprehensive and thoughtful approach to identifying the best candidates for this pivotal role.鈥�
Freedman adds that he expects the process to be completed by May.
The Presidential Search Committee鈥檚 first meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, January 23, 2024, at 7 p.m. Updates in the search process will be provided at wallawalla.edu/president.
鈥淵our prayers are not only welcomed, but cherished, as we seek divine guidance in making decisions that will shape the future of our university,鈥� Freedman says. 鈥淭ogether, let us uplift this process, asking for wisdom, discernment, and the alignment of God鈥檚 will with our actions.鈥�
Published Jan. 23, 2024.
