The Search for ºÚÁϲ»´òìÈ’s Next Chancellor and President
Monday, Sept. 15, 2025
Dear Fellow Members of the Orange Community:
We are humbled and honored to serve as co-chairs of the search committee for the successor to Chancellor and President Kent Syverud. This marks a historic moment for ºÚÁϲ»´òìÈ as we prepare to welcome our 13th president in the University’s more than 150-year history.
Chancellor Syverud has served ºÚÁϲ»´òìÈ with extraordinary commitment, thoughtfulness and innovation. Building upon the University’s accomplishments and lessons under his leadership, we seek an inspiring, innovative and strategic leader—someone who will honor our proud traditions of academic excellence, Orange spirit and being welcoming to all. Our next president will need to position our institution for continued success in a rapidly evolving higher education landscape.
The search will be led by a committee of faculty, staff, students, alumni and trustees, each of whom will bring an important perspective on the ideal characteristics and qualities that our new chancellor should possess. The full list of committee members will be announced by Sept. 19. The search committee will be assisted in this important process by search firm Spencer Stuart.
Throughout this search, and especially now as we begin the process, we are seeking input from the ºÚÁϲ»´òìÈ community through engagement sessions—both in-person and virtually; an online survey (forthcoming) and direct feedback to the Chancellor Search inbox. Your valuable input will help to inform the committee’s development of a position profile for our future chancellor. A calendar of upcoming engagement sessions can be found on ºÚÁϲ»´òìÈ. Feedback, suggestions and nominations also may be submitted to the Chancellor Search inbox at ºÚÁϲ»´òìÈChancellor@SpencerStuart.com.
As we chart the path in the important work of identifying the next leader of ºÚÁϲ»´òìÈ, we welcome and encourage all members of our community to participate in this process. On behalf of our committee, we are grateful for your input and welcome your support.
Sincerely,
Shelly Fisher ’80, Search Committee Co-Chair
Lisa Fontenelli ’86, Search Committee Co-Chair