Presidential search starts rebuilding

As Boston University President ad interim Aram Chobanian recovers from surgery, a special committee has been preparing a presentation for the Board of Trustees to organize a search committee for the next president.

The special committee – headed by Trustees Vice Chairman Bob Knox – will present its recommendations to the Trustees on Sept. 23 at the annual meeting.

Chobanian, who said he’s returning part-time to BU shortly, said Thursday the special committee is using a similar process to the previous presidential search.

“In general, I think they are looking at the process that was employed last time around … to get feedback from Trustees on their view of the search … to look at the timeliness of the search or when it should be carried out and to think of the steps that need to be taken at this point to get the actual search,” Chobanian said. “Basically it is looking to survey and to look into the situation.”

The special committee worked over the summer to outline how to conduct the search and began to consider who would sit on the search committee.

“[The Trustees] are looking to define the parameters of the search process and to put together some names for a search committee to be formed,” BU spokeswoman Nancy Sterling said Wednesday.

The previous presidential search ended with the appointment of former NASA head, Daniel S. Goldin, whose contract was later voided for $1.8 million by the Board of Trustees.

Chobanian said the decision is over and done with, and the committee must now look forward.

“I think the committee may have moved ahead too quickly, and on the other hand, I think the Trustees did the right thing in making the decision not to appoint Mr. Goldin,” he said. “I think it is hard to look back and to second-guess as to what went wrong. I think we need to look ahead now to the future.”

Chobanian said that while he does not sit on the special committee, he has advised its members on several occasions. The search committee will be comprised of an unspecified number of Trustees and may have a possible candidate in about a year, Chobanian said.

While there have been no names floated for president, Chobanian said he has no plans on throwing his name into the hat.

“He does not want to be a candidate for president and has made that clear since the beginning,” Sterling said.

The head of the search committee has yet to be named and Chobanian has said that he feels it would be inappropriate for him to be on the committee, but would advise it about the recruitment of a successor.

“I think [BU] needs the strongest person possible who can lead it into the future,” Chobanian said. “It requires a leader … a person with academic credentials … someone who is able to interact well with different constituents … someone who can raise money for the schools.”