University decides to suspend provost search

Sr. Margaret Carney, O.S.F., announced via email to students and staff today her decision to suspend the search for a new provost.
According to the email, Dr. Joseph Zimmer, interim provost, will continue to occupy the position until December 2017.
“I have made this decision after conferring with the chair of the search committee, the deans, Cabinet and the principals of the search firm of Witt Kiefer,” Sr. Margaret wrote. “It is clear that no decision made at this time will have 100 percent support.” The decision to suspend the provost search follows Sr. Margaret’s announcement early last week that she will step down from the office of the presidency in July.
“We have already lost a number of viable candidates for the provost position as a result of the announcement of my impending retirement,” she wrote.
Sr. Margaret wrote that it seems likely a new president will not be in place by the end of this year, as the search committee plans to continue looking for her replacement for at least a year. This being the case, she wrote, “The university needs the stability in the office of chief academic officer during the time of major transition in the office of the president.”
She also said that Witt Kieffer, an executive search firm based out of Illinois, “strongly advises” the university to suspend its search for a new provost. The search should begin again only after a permanent president is named, according to the letter.
Sr. Margaret asked members of the university to prepare to “dedicate [its] energies to this important work of inviting and selecting the 21st president of St. Bonaventure.”