2019 will be a big year for the two largest universities in Northeast Ohio. Both the University of Akron and Kent State are simultaneously undergoing a search for a new president and both will likely keep the candidates secret.
University of Akron interim president John Green prefers to use the word “confidential” when describing the process of hiring a new president.
He says it’s a trend among universities around the country.
“What we know from the experience in other states and at other schools is that that can be pretty tricky,” said Green.
He notes the last president at Akron, Matthew Wilson faced a lot of criticism when it became public he was a finalist for the leadership job at the University of Central Florida.
“And some of the most talented people who might apply for a job like ours or at Kent are very reluctant to because if their name is circulated too early in the process that puts them in jeopardy at their home institution,” Green explained.
Kent State drew the ire of its own faculty and others four years ago when it kept secret the lists of finalists that led to the hiring of Beverly Warren. Newspapers and free speech advocates argued the university violated the Ohio Public Records Act. Both Kent and Akron officials say that won’t happen.
“We will follow the state law, both the letter and the spirit of the law,” said Green.
This time both schools have expanded their search committees by inviting faculty, student representatives, and staff leaders to participate. Kent State is including the Kent City Manager.
Akron has required non-disclosure agreements by committee members. A spokesman for Kent State has said confidentiality in CEO-level searches is “not unusual”.
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