The Stanford University Board of Trustees has created a 19-member Presidential Search Committee to aid in appointing a successor to Stanford President John L. Hennessy, who will be stepping down in 2016 after more than a decade of service to the University.

According to an article published by the Stanford News Service, the 19-person committee is made up of faculty, students, trustees, alumni and staff with varied backgrounds and connections to the University. The committee aims to begin meetings in September 2015 and to find the next President by spring 2016.

Isaac Stein J.D. M.B.A. ’72, a current member of the Stanford Board of Trustees and a past member of the committee that had appointed President Hennessy, will be chairing the current search for the next President.  

Stein will be joined by 18 other members in the presidential search committee, including Chair of the Board of Trustees, Steven Denning MBA ’78; trustees Susan McCaw ’84, Ruth Porat ’79, Jeff Raikes ’80, Srinija Srinivasan ’93 and Vaughn Williams JD ’69; professors Mark Kelman, Sanjiv Gambhir, Margot Gerritsen, Ken Goodson, Kam Moler ’88 ’95, Ramon Saldivar and Larissa Tiedens; senior associate dean Adam Daniel; student Robert Chun ’16; and alumni Melinda Cromie Ph.D. ’12 and Kathryn Chou ’85 M.S. ’86.

“We intend to conduct considerable outreach, both on campus and with higher education thought leaders, as we seek diverse input not only about our next leader, but about the issues in higher education that will matter most to Stanford in the next decade,” Stein said to the Stanford News Service.

Although the search process will remain “strictly confidential,” Stein said, community contributions are welcomed, and a website has been set up for members of the campus community to provide input.

Contact Niharika Bhat at niharikabhat16 ‘at’ mittymonarch.com.