Search Committee for 30th Harvard President Announced and Input Solicited

Various Sources

Chaired by Penny Pritzker (AB ‘81), Harvard Corporation’s senior fellow, the presidential search committee has been announced and the process is underway. On behalf of the search committee, Pritzker sent a letter asking for members of the Harvard community to provide their input, including their views on the challenges and opportunities Harvard and higher ed are likely to face in the coming years, the priorities the next president should have in mind, attributes most important to seek in a president, and recommendations for candidates.

Among many attributes, Pritzker noted that the committee will seek “a person of high intellectual distinction, with proven qualities of leadership, a devotion to excellence in education and research,” the ability “to guide a complex institution through times of change” and “a commitment to embracing diversity along many dimensions as a source of strength.” The next president will have “a deep devotion to Harvard’s excellence, but also a passion for how Harvard…can be a force for good in the world.”

In the letter to the Harvard community, Pritzker stressed, “Your replies will be an essential means for the search committee to develop an increasingly robust and nuanced picture of Harvard, its current trajectory, and its future aspirations—and a fully informed view of the leadership that can best serve the University in the years to come.”

In addition to a search committee comprising members of the Corporation and members of the Board of Overseers, input will be solicited from faculty, student, and staff advisory committees. Pritzker explained that the committee will also receive input “from alumni, leaders in higher education, and others well-positioned to offer thoughtful counsel” with a goal “to reach out broadly to benefit from wide-ranging perspectives on Harvard and higher education as well as to build an inclusive pool of nominations.”

Members of the search committee are Timothy R. Barakett, Kenneth I. Chenault, Paul Choi, Mariano-Florentino (Tino) Cuéllar, Paul J. Finnegan, Carla A. Harris, Tyler Jacks, Carolyn (Biddy) Martin, Karen Gordon Mills, Diana Nelson, Tracy Palandjian, Penny Pritzker (chair), David M. Rubenstein, Shirley M. Tilghman and Theodore V. Wells, Jr.

See details on search committee members in the Crimson article.

Related

Harvard begins search for 30th president (Gazette, 7/7/22)

Harvard Unveils Search Committee to Select 30th President (Crimson, 7/7/22)

Pritzker on road ahead for Harvard (Gazette, 7/5/22)