Trustees select Olympia firm to search for next president at The Evergreen State College
The Board of Trustees at The Evergreen State College voted this week to hire Karras Consulting of Olympia to lead the search for the college’s next president.
The process will include input from search and advisory committees, plus oversight from the trustees, said Sandra Kaiser, vice president of college relations. Former state Senator Karen Fraser is chairwoman of the board.
Karras Consulting, which specializes in public sector executive searches, will be paid up to $64,500 for the recruitment work. It also will be reimbursed for up to $2,000 for advertising and up to $1,000 for travel costs per out-of-state finalist, according to the college.
The Karras Consulting website shows a long list of its work, including searches for executive director at the Port of Olympia, fire chief at the city of Olympia, and human resources director at the city of Olympia.
The search committee will include five to seven people, Kaiser said, but the advisory committee will have a group of 20-30, with representation from college staff, alumni and community members.
Their combined effort will work to find a replacement for George Bridges, who will serve as president until June 2021.
Bridges, who came to Evergreen after serving as president of Whitman College in Walla Walla, recently informed the board of his decision to retire as president and return to teaching, The Olympian reported.
By the time the new president is hired, The Evergreen State College might be called Evergreen State University. Name, structure and curriculum changes have recently been proposed as a way to boost enrollment at the four-year public liberal arts school.
This story was originally published July 3, 2020 at 5:45 AM.
