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CORVALLIS - The search committee seeking a replacement for Paul Risser as president of Oregon State University will hold a series of open forums on Tuesday, Feb. 4, to seek input from the university's students, staff, and faculty.

The forums will be held in the Ag Science Room of LaSells Stewart Center on the OSU campus. Deans and administrators will meet with the committee at 8 a.m.; professional faculty/unclassified staff at 9:30 a.m.; classified staff at noon; an open session will be held at 1:30 p.m.; academic faculty will meet with the committee at 3 p.m. and students at 4:30 p.m.

Kerry Barnett, a member of the Oregon State Board of Higher Education and chair of the committee, is asking the OSU community to provide input that will be used to draft a document describing the unique role the new president will play and the selection criteria the search committee will use to recruit and screen candidates.

The search committee will ask the campus community to answer several questions, including:

• What are the primary opportunities and challenges facing a new president that should be considered in evaluating applicants?
• What skills, experiences, and traits should the committee look for in a new president?
• What advice would you offer the new president? How should he/she approach the position and what should be her/his immediate and long-term priorities?

Stakeholders are invited to submit nominations for potential candidates, as well as other comments, through the search committee's website at http://oregonstate.edu/presidentialsearch/ or in writing to Kerry Barnett, Chair, Presidential Search Committee, Oregon State University, 622 Kerr Administration Building, Corvallis, OR 97331.

Barnett heads the 15-member search and screening committee comprised of staff, faculty, and students at OSU, higher education board members, and other OSU stakeholders. The committee began meeting earlier this month and is expected to identify and begin interviewing finalists over the next several months.

Risser announced his resignation in November to accept a position as chancellor of the Oklahoma State System of Higher Education. OSU Provost Tim White was named interim president of OSU on Nov. 22.