The search for a successor to University of Pittsburgh Chancellor Patrick Gallagher is officially underway.
Board of Trustees Chair Doug Browning (A&S ’72) on Tuesday appointed a 26-member search committee to identify the university’s 19th chancellor, after Mr. Gallagher, 59, announced on April 7 that he planned to step down after this academic year with plans to teach on campus.
A firm, Storbeck Search, has been hired to assist in the national search. Officials said they hope to name a new chancellor by the spring.
The committee “represents the voices of Pitt trustees, students, faculty, staff and alumni,” officials said in an announcement posted to the university’s website.
Eva Tansky Blum, former trustees chair, will lead the search committee. She also chaired the search in 2013 that brought Mr. Gallagher to Pitt. His tenure will have run nine years.
Anantha Shekhar, senior vice chancellor for the health sciences and dean of Pitt’s School of Medicine, will serve as vice chair, university officials said.
“The members of this committee bring a high level of diversity in experience, knowledge and thought leadership to the search process,” Mr. Browning said. “I fully trust in Eva, Anantha and the group to recruit outstanding candidates for the board’s consideration.”
Storbeck Search supported the 2013 search for Mr. Gallagher.
“In 2020, the firm became a Diversified Search Group company with the purpose of promoting increased diversity across the leadership pipeline,” according to Pitt’s announcement.
Officials said those on campus and beyond can share comments through an online survey, which will remain open until Oct. 14, as well as forums hosted on the Pittsburgh campus as well as virtually. The first in-person forums are set for Oct. 3 and Oct. 7, with times and locations to be shared in the coming days on the university’s official social media channels and at pi.tt/chancellor-search.
Pitt is Western Pennsylvania’s largest university, with approximately 34,000 students, 14,000 employees and five campuses — Oakland, Bradford, Greensburg, Johnstown and Titusville
Mr. Gallagher, who holds a doctorate from Pitt in physics, arrived in 2014 from the U.S. Department of Commerce, where he was director of its National Institute of Standards and Technology.
After receiving the university community’s input, the search committee’s work will be less public-facing and more confidential, especially as it relates to the candidates in consideration, Pitt officials said.
“While the process is very public-facing initially, confidentially is critical as we recruit candidates and move through the interview process,” Ms. Blum said. “The committee will work diligently to recruit the best candidates.”
In addition to Ms. Blum and Dr. Shekhar, committee members include:
• SaLisa Berrien (ENGR ’91), trustee
• Timothy Billiar, executive vice president and chief scientific officer at UPMC and George Vance Foster Professor and Chair in the Department of Surgery
• Kenyon Bonner, vice provost for student affairs
• Bruce Childers, dean of the School of Computing and Information
• Vaughn Clagette (A&S ’89), trustee
• James Covert (A&S ’91), trustee
• Lawrence Feick, interim associate dean of the College of Business Administration and professor in the Katz Graduate School of Business
• Danielle Floyd, president of the Student Government Board
• Nicola Foote, dean of the David C. Frederick Honors College
• Sarah Gaffen, Gerald P. Rodnan Professor in the Division of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology
• John Gismondi (A&S ’75), trustee
• Jeffrey Guterman, professor and division chair of communication and the arts at Pitt-Bradford
• Patricia Horoho (NURS ’92), trustee
• Christine Jackson, executive director of personnel and operations in the School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences
• Larry Merlo (PHARM ’78), trustee
• Debora Miller, vice dean of the School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences
• Varbi Mridha, vice president for finance for the Graduate and Professional Student Government
• Valerie Njie (EDUC ’71), trustee
• Lara Putnam, professor in the Department of History
• Bryan Salesky (ENGR ’02), trustee
• Hari Sastry, senior vice chancellor and chief financial officer
• Amy Seybert, dean of the School of Pharmacy
• Jem Spectar, president of the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown
• Peter Varischetti (CGS ’92), trustee
Staff to the committee are: Geovette Washington, senior vice chancellor and chief legal officer Stacey Czerniejewski, executive assistant
Bill Schackner: bschackner@post-gazette.com, 412-263-1977 and on Twitter @Bschackner
First Published: September 20, 2022, 11:53 p.m.
