The Hunt For The Next Peter George
There are some very big shoes to fill by the end of the year, those of Peter George, our university's distinguished President.
Coming to the end of his unprecedented third five-year term, Dr. George is the longest service president in the history of the university. Joining as faculty back in 1965, he worked his way up to full professorship in 1980, served as associate dean of graduate studies, dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences, and finally as President and Vice-Chancellor of McMaster University, in July 1995. He has transformed McMaster into a hub of innovation, initiated new construction projects across campus, built a strong community of students and faculty, and established many corporate and donor partnerships bringing in hundreds of millions of dollars from people such as Ron Joyce (our amazing new stadium), David Braley (new athletics centre), and Michael G. Degroote (MDCL and the Business Building). He also published two books! (You can see them listed
here). During my four years at McMaster he has attended and shown support at many student events and has given numerous inspirational speeches. He will always be remembered for his visionary leadership and boundless enthusiasm.
McMaster's "
Committee to Recommend a President" recently
posted up a document outlining what they will be looking for in a candidate worthy of the position of President of our university. And as
reported by the Daily News, they hope to select a new president by the end of the year.
Below are some highlights of what they believe is needed of a potential candidate:
- Relationship Management and Communication (relations, engaging on campus, working with government, stimulating sustainable economic development)
- Complex Administrative Management (evaluating resources, setting goals, building a leadership team)
- Academic Leadership (promoting outstanding scholarship and teaching, allocating resources, improving student experience, building Mac's profile)
- Fundraising and Institutional Advancement (inspire, give vision, gain support)
- Critical Competencies for Success:
- Relationship Building
- Institution Building
- Ability to Motivate
- Engagement
- Accessible and approachable.
- Stellar interpersonal and public speaking skills.
- Collaborative but decisive, with strong listening skills.
- Outgoing, energetic, and inspirational.
- Tireless, tenacious, and a good sense of humour.
- Requires "Ideal Experience"
- Driving institutional excellence academically, administratively, and financially.
- Developing and promoting a vision based on the distinctive identity of the institution.
- Leading by example and cultivating a sense of shared responsibility to act in the best interests of the University.
- Making decisions in an open and collaborative fashion.
- Managing significant budgets, building financial resources, maintaining and improving infrastructure, and investing resources strategically.
- Engaging directly and successfully in fundraising activities.
- Raising the profile of an institution by representing it effectively in the public domain and communicating a vision to internal and external constituencies.
- Working effectively within the University‟s bicameral governing structure.
