School of the Arts hires firm to find chancellor

With the hunt for a new chancellor underway, the search committee of the N.C. School of the Arts has enlisted the help of a professional search firm to find a replacement to head the 40 year-old conservatory.

After considering a long list of search firms, the committee ultimately decided to enlist the services of Morris & Berger, said Kristine Morris, a partner in the firm.

Before reaching the decision, the committee conducted multiple in-depth interviews and conference calls with potential firms, Morris said.

"They made the decision to go with us, and we were very happy about that," she said.

Morris said her firm's experience in the arts was one of the contributing factors to getting a contract.

"We have a full range of knowledge and contacts across the artistic disciplines in the art sector as well as higher education," Morris said, adding that the firm has worked with museums, symphonies, operas and theaters, in addition to academic institutions in other searches.

In past searches, the firm sought out potential candidates and then began a cultivation phase with those individuals, Morris said.

"Our responsibility is to make sure that there is a very strong, high quality candidate pool," Morris said.

In the finalist pool, the committee will be looking for a diligent individual with thorough referencing, she said

Morris said the process, which will happen in three parts, would have been very time consuming for the committee to tackle on its own.

"The first part is to partner with a search committee to ensure that there is a strong candidate and diverse and high quality candidate pool from which the search committee will ultimately make a recommendation to the president of the system and to the board," she said.

During this process, the firm will conduct thorough background checks on the candidates, ensuring that what is present on their applications is valid. The firm also will take into account past experiences such as being chancellor or dean of another school in hopes of gauging their potential at the School of the Arts, Morris said.

She said the second part of the process is working with the committee to help members with their decision-making and to help them focus on the criteria that they and their constituencies define as priorities.

"It's important to be appropriately inclusive, and to also make sure that there's a level playing field and that all candidates are evaluated fairly and with the same criteria."

The third part is to make sure that appropriate care is taken to completely evaluate all finalists, she said.

The firm is scheduled to meet with the search committee and constituencies Wednesday, beginning a process which should be completed by May, she said.

"That's a very standard time frame in terms of these kind of searches," Morris said.

One candidate for the position is Interim Chancellor Gretchen Bataille, who took control last July.

Bataille, who also served as UNC-system senior vice president for academic affairs until Jan. 1, said she loves her job.

"This is a great place," Bataille said. "There are incredibly talented people here."

Bataille, however, would not say if she would accept the position, should she be offered it.

"It's premature for me to say," she said. "The job description hasn't even been written yet."

 

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