Students, faculty, staff and the Â鶹ԭ´´ community are encouraged to watch the candidates’ open forums via livestream and provide their feedback.

“Dr. Laurencin and Dr. Cartwright are stellar candidates of exceptional character. Both finalists are more than qualified to lead our university.” — Beverly Seay, Board of Trustees chair

The Presidential Search Committee selected David Brenner and Cato Laurencin as finalists before spring break. Committee members met again Wednesday morning to review any additional applications they’d received. At that meeting, University of Missouri Chancellor Alexander Cartwright was interviewed via online videoconference and moved into the finalist pool.

Shortly after the meeting, Brenner withdrew his candidacy.

“Given Dr. Brenner’s success as a world-class innovator, we are disappointed that he chose not to continue in our process,” said Board of Trustees Chair Beverly Seay, who also serves as chair of the Presidential Search Committee. “However, Dr. Laurencin and Dr. Cartwright are stellar candidates of exceptional character. Both finalists are more than qualified to lead our university, and I think the board will have a very difficult decision.”

Biographies of the finalists and links to watch their open forums are available below.

Watch Thursday’s Open Forums

Alexander Cartwright, University of Missouri
Open forum, 10-11 a.m. Thursday, March 19
ucf.edu/presidential-search/alexander-cartwright/

Cato Laurencin, University of Connecticut
Open forum, 3:30-4:30 p.m. Thursday, March 19
ucf.edu/presidential-search/cato-laurencin/

Each candidate will host a campus forum via videoconference, opening with a short presentation before answering questions submitted by the Â鶹ԭ´´ community. The forums will be moderated by Faculty Senate Chair William Self, who is a member of the Board of Trustees and the Presidential Search Committee.

Each finalist also will hold virtual meetings with student leaders, faculty and deans. Feedback can be left for each candidate at links below.

Submit Candidate Feedback

Alexander Cartwright:

Cato Laurencin:Ěý

Links to watch the forums and to submit feedback will be available until 10 p.m. Thursday.

From the start of the search process, consultants advised the search committee that any applications from current university presidents would come late in the process. Search consultant Alberto Pimentel of Storbeck/PimentelĚý& Associates said that’s because they’re reluctant to disrupt relationships and ongoing initiatives with donors, their state lawmakers and the campus community.

“Why does a candidate wait until the last minute to jump in?” Pimentel said. “There are various things that a sitting president must focus on and think about before engaging in this type of a very public search.”

Next Steps

The Board of Trustees is expected to review feedback and interview each of the finalists starting at 8:30 a.m. Friday, March 20, before selecting Â鶹ԭ´´â€™s next president. That meeting with be livestreamed at .

The Board of Governors, which oversees Florida’s State University System, will vote on whether to confirm the appointment; that vote is expected on March 25 during a virtual meeting.

For more information about the finalists and updates about the presidential search, visitĚýucf.edu/presidential-search/.

“I want to let our community know this is critical – you have the opportunity to look at these candidates, listen to what they have to say, ask them questions and give us a lot of feedback for Friday,” said William Self, Faculty Senate chair and a member of the Board of Trustees and Presidential Search Committee.

“We’re in the 11th hour of a long process that is obviously critical for the university. It’s really important, and … we need to seize on the opportunity we have despite the situation our country is in.”

Dr. David Brenner and Dr. Cato Laurencin, two finalists selected before Spring Break, will hold open forums Wednesday and Thursday. The campus community is encouraged to watch via the livestreams at the links below.

Open forum with David Brenner, 3:30-4:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 18:

Open forum with Cato Laurencin, 3:30-4:30 p.m. Thursday, March 19:

All candidate open forums and feedback forms will be available until 10 p.m. Thursday for viewing and providing input.

Before and during the forums, questions for the candidates can be submitted here: .

Feedback for the candidates can be submitted at the links below:

David Brenner –

Cato Laurencin –

In addition, search consultant Alberto Pimentel of Storbeck/PimentelĚý& Associates indicated that another prospect is expected to submit his application materials by Wednesday. The potential applicant, a current president of a major research university, has been actively recruited since the beginning of the search process.

The Search Committee will meet at 9 a.m. Wednesday, March 18, at the FAIRWINDS Alumni Center to review any new applications submitted. Should committee members decide to move forward with any interviews, they will occur via videoconference that morning.

If a third finalist is added, the open forum will be from 10-11 a.m. Thursday, March 19, and will be viewable at this link:

The candidates also will meet virtually with groups of faculty members and student leaders on Wednesday and Thursday. The shift to virtual interactions mirrors the university’s shift to remote learning and also remote work due to the coronavirus.

“I think faculty and staff are going to have a little more time to be able to view these open forums and be able to give feedback, versus being on a busy campus and all the activities that would normally be going on,” Self said.

“We don’t know how long the world is going to be on pause, and we need our next president here,” said Board of Trustees and Search Committee Vice Chair Alex Martins. “We really need them to get to work. I very much feel comfortable with where we are in the process.”

Here is more information about the two finalists:

David BrennerĚýhas served as Vice Chancellor, Health Sciences, at the University of California San Diego for the past 13 years. In this role, he leads the School of Medicine, Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences and UCSD Health. He earned his M.D. from the Yale University School of Medicine, and is a member of the National Academy of Medicine. Brenner also is a Distinguished Professor in the Department of Medicine and an adjunct professor in the Salk Institute for Biological Studies.

Cato LaurencinĚýis University Professor; Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering; Professor of Materials Science and Engineering; Professor of Biomedical Engineering; Albert and Wilda Van Dusen Distinguished Endowed Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery; Chief Executive Officer, The Connecticut Convergence Institute for Translation in Regenerative Engineering, University of Connecticut; Director, The Raymond and Beverly Sackler Center for Biomedical, Biological, Physical and Engineering Sciences; and a member of the National Academy of Medicine and the National Academy of Engineering. Dr. Laurencin earned his bachelor’s in chemical engineering from Princeton University, his Ph.D. in biochemical engineering/biotechnology from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and his M.D.,ĚýMagna Cum Laude, from Harvard Medical School.

The Board of Trustees is expected to meet starting at 8:30 a.m. Friday, March 20, to interview each finalist before selecting the next president.

The Board of Governors, which oversees Florida’s State University System, will vote on whether to confirm the appointment; that vote is expected on March 25 during a virtual meeting.

For more information about the finalists and updates about the presidential search, visit /presidential-search/.

With the uncertainty surrounding the scope and duration of COVID-19, Â鶹ԭ´´ is proceeding with the final stage of the search that began in the fall. The Board of Trustees met Friday to discuss the impact of COVID-19 on the search and supported the plans to move forward.

“This is an extraordinary time,” Â鶹ԭ´´ Board of Trustees Chair Beverly Seay said. “We have a competitive pool of highly qualified candidates today, and we must make decisions that are best for the future of our university, even if we are unsure of everything that the next few weeks or months hold.”

Next week, each finalist will host a virtual open forum that will feature brief introductory remarks followed by questions and answers. Open forums will be held Wednesday, March 18, and Thursday, March 19, with opportunities for the campus community to ask questions electronically, as well as provide feedback about each candidate.

On Monday, Â鶹ԭ´´ will share the specific times and links of the open forums, as well as details on how to provide feedback.

Two finalists were selected last week by the Presidential Search Committee.

David Brenner has served as Vice Chancellor, Health Sciences, at the University of California San Diego for the past 13 years. In this role, he leads the School of Medicine, Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences and UCSD Health. He earned his M.D. from the Yale University School of Medicine, and is a member of the National Academy of Medicine. Brenner also is a Distinguished Professor in the Department of Medicine and an adjunct professor in the Salk Institute for Biological Studies.

Cato Laurencin is University Professor; Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering; Professor of Materials Science and Engineering; Professor of Biomedical Engineering; Albert and Wilda Van Dusen Distinguished Endowed Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery; Chief Executive Officer, The Connecticut Convergence Institute for Translation in Regenerative Engineering, University of Connecticut; Director, The Raymond and Beverly Sackler Center for Biomedical, Biological, Physical and Engineering Sciences; and a member of the National Academy of Medicine and the National Academy of Engineering. Dr. Laurencin earned his bachelor’s in chemical engineering from Princeton University, his Ph.D. in biochemical engineering/biotechnology from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and his M.D., Magna Cum Laude, from Harvard Medical School.

The third finalist selected by the committee withdrew his name from consideration on Monday.

Here’s an outline of all of the search activities next week:

The Presidential Search Committee will meet at 9 a.m. Monday, March 16, at the FAIRWINDS Alumni Center to review additional information on the two remaining finalists, reconsider candidates currently in the pool, and consider any new candidates who may apply.

At Friday’s Board of Trustees meeting, Seay spoke about continuing to recruit highly competitive candidates and the likelihood that at least one more candidate would become a finalist.

“It has been a really great opportunity talking to this quality of talent, listening to their experiences and hearing their enthusiasm for the university,” Seay said of the candidate pool. “I am looking forward to our campus having the opportunity to hear their different perspectives on what they would do for Â鶹ԭ´´.”

Monday’s search committee meeting can be viewed via livestream, in real time only, at this link: .

On Wednesday and Thursday, all of the finalists will conduct virtual open forums and also meet separately with small groups of students and faculty virtually. Open forums will be livestreamed and available online to allow for feedback.

In lieu of the Board of Trustees having an opportunity to interview candidates earlier in the week – as was originally planned – board members also will be meeting or teleconferencing one-on-one with finalists before their virtual visits to campus next week.

The Board of Trustees is then expected to meet starting at 8:30 a.m. Friday, March 20, for videoconference interviews with each finalist and then to select the next president. This meeting will be livestreamed, in real time only, at .

The Board of Governors, which oversees Florida’s State University System, will vote on whether to confirm the appointment; that vote is expected on March 25 during a virtual meeting of the board.

For more information about the finalists and updates about the presidential search, visit /presidential-search/.

The applicant pool includes a remarkable depth of academic scholarship and accomplishment, including candidates with membership in the prestigious National Academy of Medicine and National Academy of Engineering, and affiliation with institutions in the Association of American Universities, which represents the country’s leading research universities.

“From a very strong pool of applicants I am pleased with our choices of academic scholars with impeccable records of achievement,” said Trustee William Self, an associate professor in the College of Medicine and a member of the Search Committee. “These candidates are world-renowned in their disciplines and also strong academic leaders that have led or are currently leading large and complex academic and health enterprises in higher education. I am confident that from this strong pool of candidates we will find our next President and that this leader will be a proud member of the faculty in their discipline.”

Candidates who will move forward in the process are:

• Barbara Boyan, Alice T. and William H. Goodwin Jr. Dean of College of Engineering and Professor, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Virginia Commonwealth University; and member, National Academy of Engineering
• David Brenner, Vice Chancellor, Health Sciences, and Distinguished Professor, Department of Medicine, University of California San Diego; Adjunct Professor, Salk Institute for Biological Studies; and member, National Academy of Medicine
• Amr Elnashai, Vice President/Vice Chancellor for Research and Technology Transfer, University of Houston
• Vistasp Karbhari, President, University of Texas at Arlington
• Richard Larson, Executive Vice Chancellor and Vice Chancellor for Research, University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center
• Cato Laurencin, University Professor; Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering; Professor of Materials Science and Engineering; Professor of Biomedical Engineering; Albert and Wilda Van Dusen Distinguished Endowed Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery; Chief Executive Officer, The Connecticut Convergence Institute for Translation in Regenerative Engineering, University of Connecticut; Director, The Raymond and Beverly Sackler Center for Biomedical, Biological, Physical and Engineering Sciences; member National Academy of Medicine and National Academy of Engineering
• Javier Reyes, Vice President for StartUp West Virginia; Milan Puskar Dean of the John Chambers College of Business and Economics, West Virginia University

Beverly Seay, who chairs the Search Committee and the Â鶹ԭ´´ Board of Trustees, praised the quality of the candidates interested in leading Â鶹ԭ´´.

“This whole process has been very eye-opening, producing high-quality candidates who are equipped to build a future at Â鶹ԭ´´ that addresses our opportunities and our challenges,” Seay says. “It will be a valuable exercise for us to bring these individuals to campus and to learn from them. I encourage our campus community to take advantage of the opportunity to hear from this group of leaders with very different backgrounds and perspectives.”

Candidate interviews will be conducted in person during a meeting of the Search Committee, scheduled to start at 7:30 a.m. Thursday, March 5, in the Key West Ballroom of the Student Union. Livestreams for that meeting, available for viewing only as a live broadcast, will be as follows:

Morning session:

Afternoon session:

The schedule for the first-round interviews on Thursday is:

7:30am – 8:00am Committee Briefing

8:00am – 9:00am Barbara Boyan

9:15am – 10:15am David Brenner

10:30am – 11:30am Amr Elnashai

11:45am – 12:45pm Vistasp Karbhari

12:45pm – 1:30pm Lunch Break

1:30pm – 2:30pm Richard Larson

2:45pm – 3:45pm Javier Reyes

4:00pm – 5:00pm Cato Laurencin

5:15pm – 6:15pm Debrief

On Tuesday, Search Committee members also discussed the possibility of considering additional candidates who may apply later.

The Search Committee will recommend candidates to the Board of Trustees. Then, finalists will return to campus after spring break for open forums and campus visits. The campus community will have the opportunity to provide feedback on each of the finalists.

The Board of Trustees will vote on the selection of the president. Then, the Florida Board of Governors, which oversees the state’s public universities, will vote on whether to confirm the selected candidate.