Sections

The Presidential Search Committee has received more than 50 applications to replace current university President Jehuda Reinharz, who announced his resignation in October.

Search committee member Prof. Gregory Petsko (BIOL) told the faculty meeting Thursday that the committee is in the process of “making contact with the applicants to find out the level of interest and doing background checks on people we might want to interview.”

Petsko said the applicant pool is “surprisingly broader and deeper than I might have hoped it would be.

“When you start a process like this one thing you are afraid of is that the pool is narrow and shallow and it’s not,” he said. “We also have reason to believe that a significant number of applicants are interested in this specific job at Brandeis, not just in being president of a university.

This announcement comes following the committee’s Monday release of its “case statements and priorities” which dictate what the committee will be looking for in a future president.

The statement, which has been posted on the presidential search Web site, states that the new president should seek to establish Brandeis as the best small liberal arts research university in the country; move Brandeis forward into an era of enhanced financial stability by building the endowment, exploiting Brandeis’ strengths and managing resources wisely; generate and articulate a vision for Brandeis both within the university community by creatively thinking about ways to adapt and grow; and foster a sense of campus community and community engagement.

Petsko also said he believes the Brandeis 2020 Committee proposed academic cuts would help the university find more candidates.

“I have many friends who are current university presidents or are retired ones, and they seem to appreciate that Brandeis is using a strategic attack on our budget as opposed to across the board cuts,” he said. “I think that is very attractive to potential candidates.”