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Roberts Wesleyan University and Northeastern Seminary Begin National Search for Next President
ROCHESTER, N.Y. — A national search is now underway to identify the next president of Roberts Wesleyan University and Northeastern Seminary. Dr. Terry Taber, chair of the Roberts Wesleyan University and Northeastern Seminary boards of trustees, will lead the 15-member presidential search committee of trustees and representatives from faculty, staff, administration and students to seek prospective candidates who will advance the mission, vision and values of the institutions. Once named, the successful candidate will become the 12th president of the university and fourth president of the seminary.
The search follows a successful nine-year tenure by President Deana L. Porterfield, who informed the community in January that she will depart the university and seminary at the end of the 2023 spring semester to become the next president of Seattle Pacific University, effective July 1, 2023.
The committee has also engaged executive search management firm FaithSearch Partners to support the work of the presidential search committee and the board of trustees to name Porterfield’s successor in the coming months through an inclusive process that will seek input and diverse perspectives from key stakeholders and constituents.
“On behalf of the board of trustees and the campus community, we’d like to extend our sincere gratitude to President Porterfield for her invaluable leadership and contributions to the institution over the years as she embarks on her next chapter at Seattle Pacific University,” Taber said. “Throughout the next several months, the presidential search committee will work in partnership with the campus community, as well as our extended network of alumni, community partners and friends of the university, to gather input and provide updates on the process. Although this is a closed, confidential search, this feedback will help the committee in recruiting and evaluating strong candidates who will build on the institutions’ commitment to preparing thoughtful, spiritually mature and service-oriented graduates through engaged campus culture, innovative growth and transformational partnerships.”
The goal of the committee is to identify the next president for approval by the board of trustees before the start of the 2023-24 academic year; however, the timeline will be flexible to ensure a thoughtful and quality process as prospective candidates are sought.
“Equally important to finding the next visionary leader of Roberts Wesleyan and Northeastern Seminary is ensuring that insight from many voices from our community are considered and respected,” Taber said. “The board looks forward to engaging with the campus community throughout the presidential search process as it develops, and ultimately naming a distinctive new leader who not only embraces the institutions’ spiritual philosophies within Christian higher education but who will further the institutions’ 157-year legacy of strategic advancement for many years to come.”
Information and further details related to the presidential search, including the full list of individuals appointed to the presidential search committee, can be found here.
About Roberts Wesleyan University
Roberts Wesleyan University is New York’s leading university for character education. Committed to the development of the whole person, the institution is focused on student growth through Christ-centered education, transformational learning and service to others. With 1,579 students and a tradition of excellence since 1866, the university strives to inspire students to transform themselves and the world, and offers over 90 undergraduate, graduate and adult-degree completion programs taught by high-quality, supportive faculty. Roberts Wesleyan University also has two doctoral programs in clinical/school psychology and occupational therapy. Redhawks Athletics intercollegiate sports teams compete as members of NCAA Division II. For more information, visit roberts.edu/about.
About Northeastern Seminary
Northeastern Seminary at Roberts Wesleyan University is where the unchanging essentials of biblical and historic Christianity are combined with a responsive attitude toward contemporary culture. Christ-centered people of different ages, ethnicities and denominations attend graduate classes towards an advanced certificate, master’s or doctor of ministry degree and gain the theological understanding, spiritual formation and proven skills necessary for effective ministry to the church and the world. For more information, visit nes.edu/about.