President Olson

President Gary A. Olson

Dear Ms. Gross:

We would like to thank you and the other members of the search committee for accepting my charge to identify a list of acceptable finalists to fill the critically important position of Founding Dean, College of Health, Human Sciences and Business at Daemen University.

Daemen University is seeking a visionary leader to play a central role in shaping the success of a new College of Health, Human Sciences and Business following organizational restructuring at Daemen from two divisions into four colleges. The Founding Dean of the College of Health, Human Sciences and Business will take on a major leadership role at a university that is growing both in size and stature. Consequently, this new dean must be an experienced, innovative, and accomplished leader who will collaborate with University leadership and the faculty to help promote Daemen’s pathway to increased academic and operational excellence.

We are confident that your committee will help to identify a short list of outstanding individuals, any one of whom could become our next Founding Dean, College of Health, Human Sciences and Business.

To these ends, we would specifically charge you and the committee to give priority consideration to the following:

  1. Conduct a national search for the most highly qualified individual who will best fit the key requirements set forth in the published job description profile, with special focus on the unique characteristics of Daemen University;
  2. Give careful consideration to identifying highly qualified under-represented minorities and women candidates among those individuals under review for the position;
  3. Give priority consideration to those candidates with recent experience in similar positions at institutions of higher education, with special emphasis on those with experience at private, non-profit colleges or ;
  4. Where appropriate, encourage the committee to proactively contact highly qualified individuals whom members may know and recommend for the position; and
  5. Develop and maintain a website devoted specifically to the search, with links to important information that will assist in the committee’s recruitment process.

Finally, reflecting the importance of your committee and your role as Chair, we urge the committee to maintain strict confidentiality regarding all proceedings of the search. Furthermore, as is typical of leadership searches, all communications from the search committee should come from you.

Again, we want to thank you and the other search committee members as you begin the critically important recruitment of the Founding Dean of the College of Health, Human Sciences and Business.

Best regards.

Gary A. Olson
President

Michael S. Brogan
Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost