Dear Maria Community,
I hope this message finds you all well and preparing for the holiday season.
Since the announcement of Dr. Gamble’s retirement, the Board has been actively preparing to hold a search process for the new leader of the Maria College Community. This is a very important process for all of us and is one of the main functions of the Board of Trustees.
Before the holiday break, I would like to outline the aspects of the search process which are currently in motion:
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We have appointed the search firm Academic Search to assist us in the presidential search process. They are a leader in higher education executive searches and are connected to a wide network of top potential candidates.
- Dr. Giovanni Virgiglio, Superintendent of Catholic Schools in the Diocese of Albany, has graciously accepted the role of Chair of the search committee.
- The committee will consist of trustees and members of the Maria College Community. Representation from Maria will include:
- Victoria Battell, Senior Vice President; Chief Mission and Strategy Officer. Victoria will also serve as the representative for the Conference for Mercy Higher Education.
- Larissa Babbie, Director of Student Accounts, and representative of the Staff Council.
- Dr. David Hoffman, faculty, and community relations.
- Professor Mark Wahl, faculty, and nominated representative of the Faculty Senate.
- Members of the search committee along with Academic Search are working on a draft leadership statement and candidate profile which will be consulted upon with all representatives of the committee.
- We hope to open for nominations of qualified candidates in mid-January 2022.
I will be in touch in the New Year as the timeline and position profile are in their final version. In the meantime, I wish you and your family a very safe, healthy, and blessed holiday. On behalf of the Board of Trustees, thank you for your hard work and support; Maria is doing well thanks to the leadership of Dr. Gamble and the dedication of each of you to the success of our students. Our future is bright, our mission is strong, and we look forward to welcoming a new leader to this wonderful community in 2022.
Kind regards,
Mary Jo
