ANN ARBOR—In their meeting today (Nov. 15), members of the University of Michigan Board of Regents outlined the process they will use to search for the University’s next president.

The eight-member board will form a committee of the whole to serve as the Presidential Search Committee. Regent Laurence B. Deitch was appointed chair of the search committee, and Regent Daniel D. Horning was appointed vice chair.

The Regents will be assisted by a Presidential Search Advisory Committee, to be chaired by Earl Lewis, dean of the Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studies, vice provost for academic affairs-graduate studies, and professor of history and Afro-American and African studies. The board also will employ an executive search consultant, and is in the process of interviewing potential firms.

In addition to Lewis, the search advisory committee will be made up of seven faculty members, two staff members, two students, two alumni, and one representative each from the Flint and Dearborn campuses. The board will announce the complete membership of the search advisory committee by early December and call its first meeting shortly after that time. Deitch said the Regents hope to conclude the search within six to nine months.

Lewis was named interim dean of Rackham in 1997, and dean and vice provost in 1998. In addition to continuing an emphasis on interdisciplinarity, diversity, and the quality of teaching and research in Rackham programs, he is focusing on the renovation of the Rackham Building, effective mentorship, enhanced institutional research, and increased attention to career options for students outside academe.

Lewis earned his undergraduate degree in history and psychology from Concordia College in Moorhead, Minn., and his Ph.D. in American and African history from the University of Minnesota. His first academic appointment was at the University of California at Berkeley, where he taught in 1984-89.

Since coming to U-M in 1989, he has taught in both the Department of History and the Center for Afroamerican and African Studies (CAAS), where he served as director in 1990-93. He was honored with a Faculty Recognition Award in 1991. His research has focused on African American urban history, migration, and the history of race and race making.

The search for U-M provost that was under way prior to the announcement of the departure of President Lee C. Bollinger will be on hold until the presidential search is completed.

Board of RegentsLaurence B. DeitchEarl LewisFaculty Recognition Awardprovost