The university announced last Friday that Fransdon was leaving the university. It did not cite if it was his decision to leave or one made by the board of trustees.
Frandsen worked with John Shumate, committee vice-chair, and the Executive Committee of the Board to choose a search consultant to partner “on this important search.” They received proposals from 10 firms, and “after careful deliberation,” chose DSG I Storbeck, according to the email to the university.
“We had our kick-off call with DSG I Storbeck, and the firm is now gearing up to reach out to members of the Wittenberg community to identify key characteristics we should be considering in our next president at this critical juncture in Wittenberg’s history,” the email stated, explaining the search consultants will have an on-campus visit on Dec. 4, which will “play out” over several weeks.
Storbeck will then begin the outreach process to source qualified candidates, and after they are chosen, the search committee will begin the selection and interview process.
By spring 2025, the team is expected to have identified, interviewed, brought to campus and “conducted thorough due diligence on the final candidates so as to make a recommendation to the Board of Directors regarding the candidate we believe best possesses the necessary characteristics to lead Wittenberg into a sustainable and successful future,” the email stated.
The committee will launch a Presidential Search website to keep the community informed on this process, but in the meantime, questions can be sent to presidentialsearch@wittenberg.edu.
The search comes after an August announcement that the Wittenberg University faculty voted no confidence in the university’s board of directors.
“The Board of Directors of Wittenberg University no longer enjoys the confidence of the faculty of Wittenberg University,” the resolution said. “A pattern of decision-making over several years has culminated in board actions that the faculty cannot ignore and to which it must object.”
Wittenberg University’s board of directors approved a plan in mid-August that would eliminate the jobs of 30 faculty and 45 staff.
The university recorded a $17 million deficit in the 2022-23 school year, according to its tax records. They spent about $96 million that year, and about $26 million was spent on salaries and benefits for staff. The Board of Directors has said it plans to fully eliminate its forecasted financial operating losses by fiscal year 2027.
Frandsen, born in Athens, is the university’s 15th president. He spent more than 10 years in corporate finance before joining higher education at Oberlin College and Albion College in Michigan. Frandsen and his wife, Sharon, have two grown daughters, Janie and Kate.
Wittenberg is a 179-year-old private liberal arts university just north of downtown Springfield. The university said it had 1,288 undergraduate students and 45 graduate students as of fall 2023, along with 25 intercollegiate athletic teams in NCAA Division III.
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