FAQs

President Dean announced on September 6, 2023, that he would be stepping down on June 30, 2024, after serving six years as president.

The goal of the Board of Trustees is to appoint the next president by the end of April 2024. However, the Board is committed to appointing the best-qualified candidate for the position and is willing to take whatever time is necessary to do so.

The USNH Board of Trustees is responsible for appointing the next president. A search committee appointed by the Chair of the Board will be responsible for making a recommendation to the full board. A majority vote of the board is required to appoint a new president.

The search committee is appointed by the Chair of the Board in consultation with the chair of the search committee, members of the board, the search firm, and other interested parties. The search committee will include a group of individuals representative of the USNH Board of Trustees and the UNH community who bring diverse talent and expertise to the process and are willing to devote considerable time to the search process over the coming months.

Jamie Burnett, vice-chair of the USNH Board and UNH class of 1995, 96G and 98G, will chair the search committee. Jamie has been a member of the board since 2017. He previously chaired the Keene State College Presidential Hiring Committee and was a member of the last UNH Presidential Search Committee.

The search will be assisted by the executive search firm Isaacson, Miller (IM). IM is one of the country's premier executive search firms, with considerable experience in higher education executive searches. This was the same firm that assisted with hiring President Dean in 2018.

The firm’s role is to identify potential candidates, contact them to determine interest, conduct research and due diligence on candidates, and to help facilitate the work of the selection committee. The search firm does not decide which candidates should move forward in the process.

Yes. There will be a series of public forums and listening sessions. Dates for those will be shared soon on the Presidential Transition website and over email. Additionally, feedback can be provided to the search committee through the form on the transition website.

To attract the highest quality candidates, the search will be kept confidential, and the names of candidates will not be made public. Many senior administrators will not participate in a public search process in order to remain effective in their existing roles. Maintaining a confidential process will help to ensure a large, diverse, and well-qualified pool of applicants.

Search documents that can be made public will be posted to the transition website when available. However, New Hampshire’s right-to-know law makes provisions for “internal personnel practices,” which permit the search committee to withhold documents related to the search as appropriate.

The search committee, with the assistance of the search firm, will use best practices for diversity, equity, and inclusion throughout the search process. The position will be advertised and promoted widely with particular attention paid to attracting candidates with a broad range of academic and nontraditional experience, as well as candidates from diverse racial, ethnic, gender, and other backgrounds. 

The Presidential Transition website will serve as the primary source of information related to the selection process. Updates will be posted as they are available.

Additional questions can be sent through the form on the transition website. This FAQ document will be updated regularly to address additional commonly asked questions.

The university’s strategic plan and priorities remain in effect and continue to guide decision-making at UNH. The focus on strengthening UNH’s position as a top-tier university – by focusing on student support and success, teaching and research excellence, financial strength, and building relationships with state and business leaders – is a shared goal of the board and will influence the work of the search committee.