Presidential Search Messages
St. Mary’s College of Maryland has commenced a search for its eighth president following the news that President Tuajuanda C. Jordan, Ph.D., would retire in June 2025.
Read the latest news, updates and messages about the national search.
- St. Mary’s College of Maryland President Tuajuanda C. Jordan to Retire in June 2025 (May 9, 2024)
- A Message from President Jordan (May 10, 2024)
A Message from the Board of Trustees Chair
Dear Campus Community,
On behalf of my fellow Trustees, I’d like to welcome the Seahawk community to a new school year. I am certain you have been busy getting acclimated to the pace of the fall semester, and hope you are enjoying the thrill of learning new things, meeting new people and connecting with old friends.
As many of you know, in May, President Tuajuanda Jordan publicly announced her intention to retire next summer. We are grateful for her decade of service to SMCM, and her impact on the trajectory of this institution we all love. We look forward to celebrating the progress of the College under President Jordan’s leadership later this academic year.
The Board of Trustees is now tasked with finding our next president. This is among our most important duties, and I wanted to update you on the steps we are taking to fulfill that responsibility with care and urgency.
- A rigorous and thorough vetting process has been completed by a special committee of the Board who has chosen WittKieffer, a well-regarded executive search firm, to lead our search.
- We are now in the final stages of forming a Presidential Search Committee comprised of approximately 13 stakeholders representing trustees, faculty, staff and the student body. I have appointed a trustee to chair the committee, and look forward to introducing you once committee membership is finalized.
- Critical to our process will be hearing from you as we shape the contents of the position prospectus and help guide the search committee on what is most important to you as we execute the search. To this end, we will host a series of stakeholder listening sessions in the coming weeks to hear directly from you.
As we move through the process, you can expect regular communications from me, as well as the chair of the search committee. Additionally, a website will be created for more frequent updates and serve as a place to share your thoughts.
I am energized by this important work as we endeavor to identify our next president and build on the momentum of the past ten years.
Thanks for all you do to support St. Mary’s College of Maryland. I’ll be in touch again soon.
John Bell '95
Chair, SMCM Board of Trustees
Letter to SMCM Community from Presidential Search Committee Chair Ray Wernecke
Dear SMCM Community,
Key to selecting our next president is involving the community with whom they will collaborate, serve and lead. Over the last month, the Presidential search committee with our consultants from WittKieffer conducted extensive community listening sessions. We have also received over 50 responses to our online survey. In these sessions and survey responses, faculty, staff, students, alumni and friends offered their perspectives, hopes and dreams for the future of St. Mary’s College of Maryland. On behalf of the search committee and the Board of Trustees, I want to express my sincere thanks and appreciation to all who participated.
The search committee is pleased to share the Leadership Profile that captures the major themes from the listening sessions and surveys. Over the next several months, working with our search consultants, we will contact the individuals who are suggested by members of the SMCM community and reach out to other individuals who have the experience and personal qualities we are seeking in our next leader. We encourage you to stay connected to the search by keeping an eye on our Presidential Search website.
This is an exciting time as we launch into the market! If you have any candidate suggestions, please do share them with our search partners at WittKieffer: SMCMPresident@wittkieffer.com.
With gratitude,
Ray
A Message from the Board of Trustees Chair
Dear SMCM Community,
I hope this message finds you well and enjoying the magic of the holiday season as finals week and the fall semester come to a close.
The last few months have been an exciting time for the College on a number of fronts. Today I want to provide you with an update on the search for our next president.
Recruitment has been going strong and we have been pleased by the number and quality of candidates who have found themselves drawn to SMCM, our mission and the opportunity to lead us as we soar to new heights. Candidates have commented on the many qualities that make the College such a special place with many citing clear evidence of active community engagement. I am grateful to all who participated in listening sessions, sent valuable feedback and nominated potential candidates for consideration.
Presidential Search Committee Chair Ray Wernecke and search committee members are deep into their work. They are currently reviewing the impressive pool of candidates from which they will choose a small group of finalists before their work is done and the process moves forward. As you can see on the Presidential Search website, the next few months will be spent performing further due diligence and interviewing candidates. We are confident that this work will result in our finding our next leader among this compelling slate of applicants.
On behalf of the Board of Trustees, I offer my thanks to the search committee and all faculty, staff, students and other members of the SMCM community for their ongoing commitment to the College and to this search.
I wish all of you and your loved ones peace and joy this holiday season.
John Bell
Chair, SMCM Board of Trustees
A Message from the Presidential Search Committee
Dear SMCM Community,
Happy New Year! I hope this message finds you well. After a well-deserved winter break, our campus is once again full of life with spring semester underway. I'm pleased to share an update on the search for St. Mary's College's next president.
The response to the search has been gratifying, and the search committee was fortunate to review expressions of interest from a strong and varied group of talented leaders. We are delighted to report that the candidate pool, which included recommendations from several of you, has been impressive, with applicants coming from a broad range of backgrounds, experiences, and areas of expertise. We have drawn interest from college presidents and provosts, other senior leaders within colleges and universities, and leaders with experience in industry as well as the non-profit sector and the military.
The committee is pleased to reach this point and eager to move forward. We are conducting several rounds of interviews with a select group of candidates, as well as vigorous referencing and a robust due diligence process. The search is progressing on schedule, and we remain committed to concluding the search by the spring.
While the search committee continues to observe strict confidentiality to protect those who are engaged in the search, we are fully dedicated to the critical task of identifying an exceptional leader to serve as the next president of St. Mary's College. We look forward to the continued progress of the search with excitement and optimism.
Peace,
Ray Wernecke, Presidential Search Committee Chair