The search process has included broad consultation among faculty, alumni, students, and staff
Photo: Boston Aerials for Tufts University
Last week, Nadeem Karimbux, chair of the search committee for the new dean of The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, issued a call for nominations for candidates for the Fletcher deanship. Karimbux, who is dean of Tufts University School of Dental Medicine, made the call for nominations in a March 27 email to Fletcher community members.
The call for nomination follows the announcement earlier this winter of the launch of the search process. In a February 1 email to all students, faculty, and staff at the school, Caroline Genco, provost and senior vice president, announced the formation of the decanal search committee and the engagement of an executive recruitment firm to facilitate the search. She also listed numerous opportunities through which members of the Fletcher community would be invited to share their perspectives on the next leader of the school.
To recruit a diverse pool of candidates and facilitate the search process, the university has hired Russell Reynolds Associates (RRA), a leading executive recruitment firm that specializes in higher education. The search committee has been working with RRA to identify the qualities and characteristics of a successful dean, and will next build a list of candidates, including those nominated by members of the university community. Upcoming steps in the process include RRA’s review of the candidate pool, the conducting of first-round interviews, and recommendation of three to four candidates to advance to second-round interviews with members of the school community (including faculty, staff, and student leaders), senior leadership, and other stakeholders.
As part of the process, RRA has been consulting broadly, speaking with Fletcher faculty, students, and staff, about the current landscape of the school, the strategic vision for the school’s future, and the type of leader who can best help the school achieve its objectives. Those consultations have taken the form of one-on-one meetings, open forums, and small-group conversations. RRA also collected feedback from Fletcher community members via a survey conducted in February and March.
“The school is known the world over—literally—for the distinctive and meaningful bond that the Fletcherites share,” said Genco. “I am excited by the prospect of a new leader who will make the most of that unrivaled network of strategic thinkers and global changemakers in pursuit of solutions to some of the world’s most intractable problems and who will position the school for its second century in service of a more just and peaceful society.”
The search committee has a goal of completing this decanal search in advance of the upcoming academic year.
In addition to Karimbux as chair of the search committee, the other members of the search committee are:
- Eileen Babbitt, professor of practice of international conflict management, Fletcher School
- Maribel Blanco, executive associate dean, Fletcher School
- Steve Block, professor of international economics, Fletcher School
- Bhaskar Chakravorti, dean of global business and professor of practice in international business, Fletcher School
- Tom Dannenbaum, associate professor of international law, Fletcher School
- Dan Drezner, professor of international politics, Fletcher School
- Ian Johnstone, professor of international law, Fletcher School
- Sara Judge, vice president, Advancement
- Jette Knudsen, professor policy and international business, Fletcher School (Faculty Senate representative)
- Leslie Puth, chair, Fletcher School Board of Advisors
- Cyndi Rubino, director of student affairs, Fletcher School
- Cigdem Talgar, vice provost for education, Office of the Provost
- Lis Tarlow, trustee
- Adrian Thomas, assistant dean of diversity and inclusion, Fletcher School
- Josephine Wolff, associate professor of cybersecurity policy, Fletcher School
Members of the Fletcher community who have individuals to nominate for the Fletcher deanship are invited to share those names (and their current institutions/organizations) with the search committee via tufts.fletcher@russellreynolds.com. The search consultants will be responsible for contacting nominees and asking them to submit their CV if they are interested in the role.
