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.

The Search Committee will review applications received to date from presidential candidates and expects to begin selecting candidates who will move forward in the process.

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, also in the Key West Ballroom of the Student Union.

After the Search Committee interviews and recommends candidates to the Board of Trustees, 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.

We will communicate dates and times for open forums, even before they are attached to specific candidates, to help you plan to attend or watch them online. Candidates’ open forums will be available online for 24 hours after they occur. This week’s Search Committee meetings will be live streamed, but only available to watch online in real time.

After the on-campus visits, the Â鶹ԭ´´ 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.

We will update you following the Search Committee meeting Tuesday.

For more information about the search, visit the Presidential Search website.

Our search committee and search firm are now working to recruit a pool of candidates for the Board of Trustees to consider based on your feedback and recommendations.

If you would still like to share your thoughts on the experiences, qualifications and characteristics you feel the ideal candidate should have to lead Â鶹ԭ´´, the will be accepting feedback through Feb. 6. A also is available.

The feedback provided in these surveys, as well as the criteria for evaluating candidates, will be discussed at the next Presidential Search Committee meeting, which will take place Feb. 12 at 8:30 a.m. in the Key West Ballroom of the Student Union. The meeting will be live streamed at

Storbeck/Pimentel & Associates, the firm chosen to aid in the search, continues accepting nominations of candidates for the presidency. As you think about whom you could nominate, you can review the presidential search advertisement.

All nominations should be submitted to Alberto Pimentel, managing partner, at apsearch@storbeckpimentel.com

We anticipate selecting the next president this spring. On-campus visits for each of the finalists will feature an open forum, as well as other opportunities for candidates to get to know our university community. We will provide dates and more information when they are scheduled.

I hope you will remain engaged throughout the search process by visiting ucf.edu/presidential-search for updates and additional information.

With your help, I know we will find the best candidate to move our university forward.

Thank you and Charge On!

You can provide your feedback via a short A is also available.

On Wednesday, Jan. 15, Â鶹ԭ´´ will hold three additional open forums where you can share your opinions. They will be held at the following times and locations:

• 12:30 p.m. on the main campus, in the Student Union Key West Ballroom, room 218
• 2:30 p.m. at Â鶹ԭ´´ Downtown, in the Dr. Phillips Academic Commons, West Building, room 106A
• 4:30 p.m. at the Â鶹ԭ´´ Rosen College of Hospitality Management’s Disney Dining Room

Representatives from Storbeck/Pimentel & Associates, the firm chosen to aid in the search, and from the Presidential Search Committee will host the open forums.

The Presidential Search Committee will hold its next meeting at 9:30 a.m. Thursday, Jan. 16, at the Â鶹ԭ´´ FAIRWINDS Alumni Center. The meeting will be live streamed on .

Storbeck/Pimentel & Associates also is accepting nominations of candidates for the presidency. As you think about whom you could nominate, you can review a list of desired qualities approved by the Board of Trustees on the last page of this document.

All nominations should be submitted to Alberto Pimentel, managing partner, at apsearch@storbeckpimentel.com.

The next president is expected to be chosen this spring and start this summer. For more information about the search, visit ucf.edu/presidential-search.

Students, faculty, staff, alumni and friends are invited to attend the open forum to share what qualifications and characteristics they are looking for in Â鶹ԭ´´’s next president. The open forum will be from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. in the east wing of the Dr. Phillips Academic Commons building in room 161.

The Presidential Search Committee will meet at 3:30 p.m. in Dr. Phillips Academic Commons room 169. The campus community and public are invited to attend or .

Parking for both events is available in the Parramore Garage. Visit /downtown/transportation/#parking for more information and a map of the downtown campus.

The campus and Central Florida community can also provide feedback . The survey also is .

Input during open forums, as well as the online survey, will help guide Storbeck/Pimentel & Associates – the firm chosen to aid in the search – and members of the Presidential Search Committee in recruiting and selecting candidates.

Representatives from the search firm and the Presidential Search Committee will host the open forum.

Additional open forums to provide feedback will be held in January.

The next president is expected to be chosen next spring and start next summer.

For more information about the search, visit ucf.edu/presidential-search

UPDATE: Listening sessions and open forums continue Thursday with four sessions on the main campus. The campus and Central Florida community can also provide feedback via an online survey at . The survey also is available in Spanish at .

***

A series of listening sessions and open forums begins this week for the campus community to share what they are looking for in Â鶹ԭ´´â€™s next president, and future sessions will focus on feedback from alumni and the Central Florida community.

Input during the listening sessions and open forums, as well as an online survey under development, will help guide Storbeck/Pimentel & Associates – the firm chosen to aid in the search – and members of the Presidential Search Committee in recruiting and selecting candidates.

The Presidential Search Committee will meet from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 20, at Morgridge International Reading Center on the main campus. All are welcome to attend, and that meeting also can be viewed online at .

A representative from the search firm and the Presidential Search Committee will host the open forums and listening sessions. While all meetings are open to the public, the open forums are designed for broader audiences. The listening sessions target more specific groups, such as the Faculty Senate and USPS Staff Council.

Faculty, staff and students are invited to the first open forum in Room 102 at the College of Medicine in Lake Nona from 3 to 4 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 20.

On Nov. 21, there will be two open forums and two listening sessions, all on the main campus.

The full schedule on Thursday is as follows:

• 9:30-10:30 a.m., USPS Staff Council, Student Health Center, Room 206
• 11 a.m.-noon, student, faculty and staff open forum, Student Union, Cape Florida Ballroom
• 2:30-3:30 p.m., student, faculty and staff open forum, Student Union, Cape Florida Ballroom, Room 316
• 4-5 p.m., Faculty Senate, Student Union, Key West, Room 218

There also will be opportunities to provide feedback online. More details on future listening sessions and open forums, as well as how to submit feedback online, will be shared as soon as they are available.

A listening session for the Board of Trustees also will be held from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesday in the President’s Boardroom in Millican Hall.

The next president is expected to be chosen next spring and start next summer.

For more information about the search, visit ucf.edu/presidential-search.

The committee will discuss how to involve the campus and community throughout the search and also hear presentations from five search firms that have submitted proposals to help Â鶹ԭ´´ recruit presidential candidates. The Board of Trustees is expected to vote to hire a search firm this week.

The meeting will be at the Morgridge International Reading Center on Â鶹ԭ´´â€™s main campus. The livestream of the meeting can be viewed at

Members of the Presidential Search Committee include students, faculty, staff, trustees and alumni, among others. The committee was formed based on the requirements of the Florida Board of Governors’ and Â鶹ԭ´´ Board of Trustees’ guidelines.

For more information on the presidential search, including a meeting agenda and list of search committee members and their bios, go to ucf.edu/presidential-search