Dear Campus Community,

We have an exciting announcement to share about Beloit’s future: After a national search, Eric Boynton, Beloit’s current Provost and Dean, has been selected to serve as the 12th President of Beloit College.

Last week, the Board of Trustees voted unanimously to appoint Eric after the search, which was conducted by executive search firm Russell Reynolds Associates and led by an on-campus search committee. The search attracted 80 interested prospects, which yielded 35 candidates who were reviewed. Subsequent interviews led the search committee to three finalists, with Eric emerging as the clear leader.

Many of you are familiar with Eric’s work and his effectiveness as a leader, collaborator, and innovator, who – among his many other achievements – led strategic initiatives around college-to-career pathways and putting teaching and mentoring first. He is a member of the college’s anti-racist liaison team that created Becoming Better, the college’s roadmap for equity and inclusion. He has been at the center of Impact Beloit, the student career hub that will embrace regional community partnerships and be located in Morse Library after a $9 million grant-funded renovation, set to begin this summer.

Eric brings to his new role more than two decades of experience in higher education, with nearly 15 years in leadership positions, including the past four years at the highest level of Beloit College administration. His experience as Beloit’s chief academic officer includes overseeing all college operations related to academic programming, faculty, and academic administration.

Before he became Provost in 2019, Eric was professor and chair of the philosophy and religious studies department at Allegheny College in Pennsylvania, where he also directed interdisciplinary studies, Black studies, and the honors program. He has a Ph.D. in the philosophy of religion from Rice University, a master’s degree in religious studies from Vanderbilt University, and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Redlands.

An event is scheduled for 12:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 3, in Eaton Chapel to introduce Eric as Beloit’s president-elect. It will be streamed live at this link and will be followed by an ice cream social. We hope you will either join us in person or watch online.

Eric also recorded a video expressing his excitement for the work ahead.

Please join me in congratulating Eric on his appointment. His proven leadership qualities and ability to navigate change will serve the college well as we keep moving toward a bright future. I am grateful to everyone in the community who participated in the presidential search through surveys and listening sessions. Please also join me in recognizing the hard work of the presidential search committee members and Russell Reynolds Associates.

We invite you to read the complete press announcement.

Nina Weissberg’84
Chair, Presidential Search Committee

Dick Niemiec’65
Chair, Beloit College Board of Trustees

Dear Members of the Beloit Community,

The Presidential Search Committee is moving into the most rigorous phase, evaluating candidates based on the qualifications described in the Presidential Prospectus, and identifying those who will advance as finalists. The search partners at Russell Reynolds, with the assistance of nominations from many of you, recruited a large group of exceptional candidates with a broad range of experience and expertise.

The Search Committee’s time commitment grows as we move into the final phase. I applaud the committee’s thorough preparation for these lengthy meetings and dedication to Beloit College. Per the terms of the Board Charge (attached with the original email), by Spring we will recommend one candidate to the Board of Trustees.

We appreciate all the community input from emails as well as at the board panel hosted by Dick Niemiec Chair of the Board of Trustees, Nina Weissberg Trustee and Chair of the Search Committee, and Don Kent Trustee and Chair of the Advancement Committee in February. We are working to accommodate these recommendations where appropriate.

In the meantime, if you have any questions about the presidential search process, please visit the website or write to us at Beloit College Presidential Search Committee presidentialsearch@beloit.edu.

Sincerely,
Nina Weissberg’84

Dear Campus Community,

While still early in the candidate recruitment process, the search committee met last week to review the first CVs of an impressive group of candidates who represent numerous disciplines and backgrounds. The Russell Reynolds team shared conversations with nominating sources, candidates, and prospects. The committee members asked probing questions from their perspectives as we calibrated the critical skills and values needed for the college’s next leader. The meeting highlighted the expertise of Russell Reynolds and the committee’s willingness to ask hard questions.

The search will continue through late spring when we anticipate presenting a final nominee to the trustees at the May board meeting. The Russell Reynolds team emphasizes discretion will be critical to the success of the search. As a reminder, no one in the campus community should engage with potential candidates as it relates to the application process.

Reporting on the Stakeholder Survey results, over one thousand alumni, students, faculty, staff, Beloit community members, and friends of the college participated in the listening sessions and survey. This is a striking example of the community’s commitment to the college’s future.

1. Overwhelmingly, the Beloit Community selected the college’s financial sustainability as the top priority for the next president, 60% overall, and more than 85% of faculty and staff.
2. Over 75% of people surveyed chose a commitment to the principles of a liberal arts education.
3. 64% percent selected retain talented faculty and staff.
4. Over 50% selected stellar communication skills and fostering a culture of diversity.

Survey comments indicate that our next president should be a unique leader with strong communication and exceptional fundraising skills. The comments also elaborated on the complexity of diversity.

In addition to the survey and listening sessions, I have received many emails with excellent input from all members of the college community including parents, past presidents, and trustees. As one Trustee put it, “everyone is doing their best for the institution they love so much.” The ideas and suggestions on both the qualities of our next leader and the process are extremely valuable and continue to guide the search committee as we review applicants. On behalf of all of us on the committee, we appreciate the high standard you set and the trust you placed in us.

Happy New year.

Nina Weissberg’84
Presidential Search Committee

Dear Beloit College Community,

The Presidential Search Committee and our search firm, Russell Reynolds Associates, extends our appreciation to everyone who participated in the stakeholder meetings and feedback-gathering process in person, virtually, and by completing the survey. Your input has been invaluable in helping us create a Presidential Prospectus that outlines key opportunities, priorities, and challenges for Beloit’s next president.

With that work completed, the committee is now formally accepting nominations for Beloit’s 12th President. Nominations may be sent directly to Russell Reynolds Associates at: beloit@russellreynolds.com.

Learn more about the process for selecting our next President, including a list of members of the search committee.

Over the next several weeks, our search consultants will reach out to their extensive network of contacts for additional suggestions and will begin conversations with nominees and candidates. The search committee will assist with the recruitment process and begin to assess candidates for initial interviews.

Thank you for all your work on behalf of Beloit.

Nina Weissberg’84
Chair, Presidential Search Committee

Dear members of the Beloit College community,

The Presidential Search Committee invites you to provide input on the priorities and the qualities you would like to see in the next president of Beloit College through this anonymous survey. The committee will consider input as they consider potential candidates, and the results of this survey will only be shared with the Presidential Search Committee. Please complete the survey by Wednesday, December 7. Thank you for contributing to this important process, we look forward to hearing from you.

The original email to the Beloit College community included a link to the survey.

Sincerely,
The Presidential Search Committee

Dear Friends,

As we search for Beloit College’s next president, critically important to the process is to elicit feedback on each community’s perspectives and priorities. Zach Messitte of Russell Reynolds will facilitate these listening sessions for campus and community groups on Monday, Nov. 14.

Staff Session

• 11:00 – 11:45 a.m. Morse-Ingersoll, Richardson Auditorium

Student Session

• 12:30 – 1:15 p.m. Powerhouse, Weissberg Auditorium
• Lunch will be provided.

Faculty Session

• 4:00 – 4:45 p.m. Powerhouse, Weissberg Auditorium

Greater Beloit Community Session

• 5:00 – 5:45 p.m. Powerhouse, Weissberg Auditorium

We welcome your questions and comments as we move through this process, and thank you for taking the time to participate.

Sincerely,

Nina Weissberg’84
Chair, Presidential Search Committee

The search for the next transformative Beloit College president is now under way.

Search Committee Chair and Beloit Trustee Nina Weissberg’84 announced the internal committee today along with the external search firm that will assist in the process.

President Scott Bierman informed the community in September that he would retire as the college’s 11th president at the end of the current academic year following a successful 14-year tenure.

“Our sadness at Scott’s retirement is tempered by the tremendous opportunity to identify Beloit’s next leader,” Weissberg said. “The search committee members represent numerous community perspectives critical to identifying that individual, and we are excited to work with these thoughtful leaders.”

Search firm Russell Reynolds will support the work of the presidential search committee. Anne Coyle and Former Ripon College President Zach Messitte, who will lead the firm’s efforts, have extensive national academic search experience as well as deep knowledge of Midwestern liberal arts colleges.

Russell Reynolds will lead several listening sessions with campus constituents over the next few weeks to identify community priorities. Following these sessions, surveys will be sent to the entire Beloit community of faculty, staff, students, alumni, and friends of the college to gain additional insight.

The search committee will use the data to develop the position specifications. The goal is to identify the next president by late spring 2023.

Nominations should be sent to beloit@russellreynolds.com and communications to the Search Committee at presidentialsearch@beloit.edu. 

The names and positions of individuals on the search committee were also included.