Dear Starr King Community,
As the summer has come to a close and we step full into a new academic year, I wanted to share an update on the progress the Board of Trustees has made in developing the search process for the next president of Starr King.
We recognize the significance of the moment before us. Like all transitions, this is a time of both opportunity and uncertainty. However, we recognize that it is not just Starr King in transition; all of theological education – perhaps all of academia – is also in transition right now. As a Board, we want to make sure that we are thoughtful in how we navigate this transition to move us toward the future we all seek.
That is why the Board spent the summer thinking through how we can best create a search process that is grounded in our vision, benefits from the collective wisdom of our community, and aligns with higher education best practices. A big part of how we spent the summer was having conversations with representatives of different parts of the Starr King community, as well as outside leaders and higher education experts, to help us think through the building blocks required to do a presidential search well.
One question we heard from members of our community over the summer is why we made the decision to search for the next president rather than an interim president. Fundamentally, our decision was based on the strength of our school and the need to continue to build on the momentum we have generated over the past few years. We are in the middle of a strategic plan, our Five Year Roadmap. Our Five Year Roadmap – created with the input of our students, faculty, staff, and Board – that has made great gains for the school over the past two years. It is through our strategic Roadmap work that we have begun meaningful initiatives to bring our ECO model into new spaces, develop new platforms for thought leadership, strengthen our internal systems, foster new partnerships, and deepen relationships within our community. We want to keep this momentum going and see this strategic plan through to the end. And a long-term president would be far better equipped than a one-year interim to lead us through the completion of our strategic plan and the generation of a new vision. We need someone ready to pick up the baton, keep our school moving forward in abundance, and deepen the relationships that will bear fruit long into the future. In short, Starr King is ready for the next president who can guide the school through transformation every day and every year to create the next chapter of Starr King.
With this task in mind, the Board has been working to develop the various pieces of our search process. We also have been thinking through ways to bring in the input – the hopes, dreams, concerns, and ideas – of our community as we develop the building blocks of this process.
One building block of the search process is the composition of the search committee. It is critically important to us that our search committee brings different perspectives from across the life of the school into the search process. Therefore, we are intentionally taking the time to figure out the right composition of this committee. I, alongside my fellow Board officers, have been meeting with representatives from constituent groups within the school to begin to get input into the composition of the search committee. We will continue this work in the coming weeks. Additionally, the full board will also meet in executive session to reflect on this input and think through the composition of the search committee. We will be meeting executive session to protect confidentiality in case any possible candidates for the committee are discussed. We will share an update on our discernment about the composition of the search committee by the next full board meeting on September 18.
Another important building block of this search process will be to develop the charge for the search committee. The charge to the search committee is designed to outline the expectations, responsibilities, and strategic focus of the committee as it leads the search process. This charge is the north star – a guiding light – for the committee through every stage of the search process.
As we develop this building block of the search process, we want to hear from you. What are those elements that important to include in the charge for the search committee? We invite you to share your thoughts on the focus and important elements of the charge between now and September 22. We will also designate time for an open discussion on the charge of the search committee during the September 18 board meeting. You can share your thoughts on the charge to the search committee via email at future@sksm.edu.
We are still in formation stages of the presidential search process. There are many more questions that need to be asked and thoughtfully answered. We are committed to taking the time to answer those questions fully and to finding more opportunities for input from our community as we build this process. Stay tuned for more updates on those additional opportunities for input into building blocks of the search process.
We are committed to creating the best process to select the next president of Starr King. On behalf of the Board, I thank you for your patience and support in this first stage of our work. I look forward to continuing to collaborate with all of you as we create and begin this search process.
Sincerely,
Rev. Alison Miller
Chair, Starr King Board of Trustees
