Archived Communications

February 13, 2019

Dear Fellow Clarke Supporters:

As a follow up to the February 1 status update from your Presidential Search Committee, we are pleased to report that the important work of the Clarke Presidential search process remains on time and on task.

The meetings with campus constituencies and interviews by the Clarke Board of Trustees in late January were an absolutely essential part of the search process, but were not the final step in the process. A presidential search is a rigorous and comprehensive process; we have additional steps to complete in order to begin a successful transition.

Please be assured that the search process is working and is succeeding in its mission. Thank you for your continued patience and full support. We will be in touch again soon.

Clarke Thrives because of you!

Rob Wahlert
Board and Search Committee Chair

FEBRUARY 1, 2019

Dear Fellow Clarke Supporters:

On behalf of your Clarke Presidential Search Committee, I am pleased to continue to update you on the status of the presidential search.

We again provide for you information on the search committee, an intentionally assembled team of talent, experience, and locality so as to seek a broad spectrum of qualified candidates. The search committee of ten included:

• 8 women and 2 men
• 5 Clarke alumni and 5 non-alumni
• 7 members living and working in the Dubuque community and 3 members from outside of Dubuque
• 2 current and 2 past Clarke faculty members and 1 cabinet member
• 2 trustee sisters from our BVM founding congregation and 8 laity
• A broad spectrum of personal talents, ages, and experiences

With diligent focus and rigor, the search committee narrowed the applicant pool to a group of
semi-finalists with whom the search committee held face-to-face interviews in Chicago in mid-January. A more select group of prospective candidates was invited to Clarke and Dubuque recently for confidential interactions with Clarke stakeholder representatives.

After these interactions, the stakeholder representatives provided input and comments to the Clarke Board of Trustees who are vested with the responsibility and authority to choose Clarke’s next president. On behalf of your search committee and the full board, we express sincere gratitude to this large group of stakeholder representatives for their honest, straightforward, and gracious welcoming of candidates for the Clarke presidency. Their voices were heard as a vital part of this presidential search. Trustees subsequently interviewed, and had social interactions with, this select group of candidates.

The presidential selection process remains on task and on schedule. We ask for your patience as further diligence is conducted and rigor is applied to make well-informed choices and decisions. Thank you for your continued support of the presidential search process.

Clarke Thrives because of your support!

Rob Wahlert
Board and Search Committee Chair

DECEMBER 21, 2018

Dear Fellow Clarke Supporters:

On behalf of your Clarke Presidential Search Committee, I am pleased to share with you an update on our efforts to identify Clarke’s next president.

You will recall that the search committee is comprised of members of Clarke’s board of trustees, faculty, and cabinet. This group has been working together with diligence and rigor, utilizing the experience and expertise of our Witt/Kieffer presidential search advisors throughout the process.

Following the publication of the Clarke Presidential Leadership Profile, we sought applications from prospective candidates able to meet the demanding requirements of the Clarke presidential position. The search committee looked for candidates with the skill sets, life experiences, vision, and common commitment to the Clarke Values of Freedom, Education, Charity, and Justice instilled by our BVM founders.

We are pleased to share that the search committee has received a robust response, with many candidates sharing their qualifications and expressing their mission-focused desire to serve as Clarke’s next president. The presidential search committee is well into the process of vetting candidates who will best address the future needs of Clarke University in this changing environment of higher education.

The search committee is interviewing a slate of candidates to identify finalists for this position. We reached out in mid-December to Clarke faculty, deans, staff, students, and alumni to ask for their participation in on-campus interactions in January with the finalists. Their input will be shared with the Clarke Board of Trustees who are invested with the responsibility to choose our next president.

Although the interview and selection process must remain confidential to safeguard the integrity of the search and protect the identities of the large number of prospective candidates (and their families) who will not be chosen, we will continue to keep the Clarke community apprised of our efforts. As I comprise this update during the week of Christmas, we ask for your spiritual support for your search committee to continue to make wise, informed, and faith-filled decisions in this most vital project.

Clarke Thrives because of your stewardship!

Rob Wahlert
Trustee and Search Committee Chair

DECEMBER 3, 2018

Dear Members of the Clarke University Community:

Your Clarke Presidential Search Committee is pleased to update you on the succession planning process for the May 2019 retirement of Sr. Joanne Burrows. As previously shared, the Clarke Board of Trustees will be interviewing candidates in late January.

The Board of Trustees will invite representatives of stakeholder groups to meet with the candidates during their January interviews. These interactions will be in confidential settings to protect the confidentiality of prospective candidates, and their families, as well as the integrity of the search and selection process.

While at Clarke and in Dubuque, candidates will meet with groups of important Clarke stakeholders:

• Sr. Joanne Burrows
• Administrative Cabinet
• Student leadership representatives
• Faculty representatives and deans
• Staff representatives
• Alumni representatives

We will extend invitations to representatives of these respective groups to participate in this most important work. All participants will be asked to sign and abide by a Confidentiality and Code of Conduct Agreement.

We appreciate your continued support and interest in this endeavor. With your help, Clarke Thrives because of your stewardship!

Best,

Rob Wahlert
Trustee and Search Committee Chair

November 8, 2018

Dear Members of the Clarke Community:

I am writing on behalf of the Presidential Search Committee to update you on our efforts to identify a successor to Sr. Joanne Burrows, upon her May 2019 retirement.

With our search advisor Witt/Kieffer, there have been ten broad-based listening sessions on campus to understand the desired skills and strengths for our next president. These sessions were very helpful in developing the Clarke Presidential Leadership Profile for outreach, recruitment, and evaluation of candidates.

The committee’s attention is now focused on preparing for meetings to review applicants, identify candidates, and recommend finalists for interviews. As part of this process, finalists will be invited to campus in late January for confidential and private conversations with selected stakeholder groups prior to meetings with the Clarke Board of Trustees. The Board of Trustees, by Clarke bylaws, is charged with the responsibility for electing the president.

Current presidential search best practices are to maintain confidentiality for the candidates during the entire interview process to protect their current employment, and that of a possible working spouse, and to safeguard the integrity of the interview process. We are nonetheless seeking to involve stakeholders across the Clarke community to offer feedback in this most important strategic decision, while maintaining confidentiality for individual candidates.

To balance a process that allows stakeholder input with best practices for confidentiality, we will be inviting selected representatives of our faculty, staff, and students to meet with the candidates.

It is vital for all of us to recognize that these interviews are two-way conversations. These interactions should confirm that the prospective candidate is a qualified leader for the position of president. The interactions should also ensure the candidate, and if accompanied by his/her family, find a good cultural, employment, and lifestyle choice in Clarke and Dubuque.

As your Presidential Search Committee members have done, those invited to participate will need to sign and adhere to a Confidentiality Code of Conduct Agreement. This is specifically to protect the interests for any candidate who is not selected for this position.

Thank you for your support in this most important process.

Clarke Thrives because of your stewardship.

Best,

Rob Wahlert
Board & Search Committee Chair

OCTOBER 15, 2018

Dear Fellow Clarke Supporters:

I am pleased to share with you a status update on the efforts of your presidential search committee. This committee is fully staffed to include Clarke admin and faculty members, and has worked together diligently and efficiently to move this search process forward. I want to publicly thank and acknowledge our committee members for their active and participatory teamwork.

Since the Witt/Kieffer on-campus listening sessions, the Clarke staff, Witt/Kieffer, and the search committee have been reviewing input and crafting a Leadership Profile. The Leadership Profile is used as an outreach vehicle to prospective candidates.

The Leadership Profile document is within Clarke’s Presidential Search website, clarke.edu/presidentialsearch, and can be found in the right sidebar.

Advertising for the position will be placed in higher education on-line publications and on local websites.

Your search committee will be working with Witt/Kieffer to vet and eventually interview prospective candidates in an off-site location. As shared previously, it remains vital that the identities of candidates be kept confidential within the search committee so as to guard the candidate’s privacy and current employment, as well as the integrity of the selection process.

Final candidates recommended by the search committee will be interviewed by Clarke’s full board of trustees at a special meeting of the board, per Clarke’s board of trustees policies and procedures. We ask for your continued support in this vital responsibility as we progress forward.

Clarke Thrives Because of Your Support!

Sincerely,

Rob Wahlert
Chair, Board of Trustees and Presidential Search Committee

September 26, 2018

Dear Fellow Clarke Supporters:

On behalf of your Clarke University Presidential Search Committee, I am pleased to share with you a brief update as we work toward succession for the retirement of Sr. Joanne Burrows in May of 2019.

The executive search firm we have engaged to assist in the candidate search, interviewing, and vetting process is Witt/Kieffer Inc. The firm has been actively working with Clarke University to firm up presidential candidate requirements and develop a communications strategy for prospective candidates.

The Witt/Kieffer team of Dennis Barden, Concetta Stewart, and Elizabeth Bohan were at Clarke University on September 19 and 20 for ten active listening sessions with faculty, staff, students, alumni, senior leadership, trustees, and search committee members.

Our sincere thanks to the hundreds of Clarke stakeholders who actively participated in these sessions and provided input essential to draft the Leadership Profile for our next president. Please know that you have a meaningful and valued voice in this most important task. We encourage further follow up should you want to share names of prospective candidates, thoughts on incumbent qualities and experience, and ideas on making this a successful search. Please feel to contact Witt/Kieffer by email at ClarkePresident@wittkieffer.com

Please trust that your presidential search committee members are fully engaged and committed to this project. It is essential that we all work together to continue the success Clarke has achieved for the last 175 years.

Again, the search committee members are:

• Bill Biebuyck, Vice President for Institutional Advancement
• Karen Chiappetta ’83, Trustee
• Mary Rose Corrigan M’04, Trustee Vice Chair
• Sr. Margaret Mary Cosgrove, Trustee
• Ellen Gabrielleschi, Professor of Drama & Musical Theatre
• Jennifer Mai DPT’06, Associate Chair and Professor of Physical Therapy
• Sr. Regina Qualls, Trustee serving as non-voting Committee Secretary
• Maureen Quann ’97, Trustee
• Jane Daly Seaberg ’78, Trustee
• Rob Wahlert, Trustee Chair and Search Committee Chair

Thank you as always for your support in this important effort.

CLARKE THRIVES!

Rob Wahlert
Chair, Clarke Board of Trustees

September 6, 2018

Dear Clarke Faculty and Staff,

Hope you had a relaxing Labor Day weekend!

I want to provide an update on the presidential search process, specifically the consultant’s visit to campus later this month.

As I mentioned in my last update, Witt Kieffer will be on the Clarke University campus September 19 and 20. They will begin the visit early Wednesday morning and conclude their work late morning on Thursday. The purpose of the visit is to gather information that will assist them in developing the leadership profile for Clarke’s presidential search.

Witt Kieffer identified the groups and individuals holding particular positions with whom they wish to speak during those two days. There will be two faculty forums on Wednesday; one at 8:00 a.m. in Fabiano Conference Room and one at 4:00 pm in Alumni Lecture Hall. The staff forum will be held during Staff Assembly at 8:30 a.m. on Thursday in the dining hall. The forums are open to current employees. Individual and small group interviews include the three campus representatives serving on the search committee, the president, the two academic deans, chair of the Faculty Senate, chair of staff assembly, and the CSA executive officers. The Board of Trustees and the Cabinet have met with the consultants previously. Cabinet members will not attend the forums or interviews during the campus visit.

The consultants have indicated that they generally ask the same questions of everyone interviewed and of every group. I thought you might like to have the questions in advance to help you prepare.

• How are things going now?
• What is the next president’s agenda? What must she or he accomplish in the first couple of years to ensure the institution’s success?
• How do we describe the ideal person to do those things? What credentials, experience, style, talents, etc. should the person possess?
• Why does someone want this job? What aspects of Clarke today and in terms of potential will be most attractive to the best candidates?

We will continue to move forward in this search project and will keep you advised as it progresses. Thank you for your continued support of your search committee and our work on this vital project.

Sincerely,

Rob Wahlert
Chair, Clarke Board of Trustees

August 29, 2018

Dear Clarke University Faculty & Staff,

Congratulations on the start of another great academic year!

I want to provide an update on the presidential search process, specifically regarding the full membership of the search committee and the consultant’s visit to campus next month.

The Board of Trustees bylaws call for faculty to elect two representatives and the administration to select one member. I am pleased to advise that Ellen Gabrielleschi will represent the College of Arts and Sciences, Jennifer Mai the College of Professional and Graduate Studies, and cabinet member Bill Biebuyck completes the committee, which now includes:

• Bill Biebuyck, Vice President for Institutional Advancement
• Karen Chiappetta ’83, Trustee
• Mary Rose Corrigan-Psihoyos ’04, Trustee Vice Chair
• Sr. Margaret Mary Cosgrove, Trustee
• Ellen Gabrielleschi, Professor of Drama & Musical Theatre
• Jennifer Mai ’06, Associate Chair and Professor of Physical Therapy
• Sr. Regina Qualls, Trustee serving as non-voting Committee Secretary
• Maureen Quann ’97, Trustee
• Jane Daly Seaberg ’78, Trustee
• Rob Wahlert, Trustee and Search Committee Chair

It is vital that the search process adhere to confidentiality, both to protect the integrity of the search and to safeguard prospective candidates’ personal information. With this in mind and with input as to best practices from Witt/Kieffer and Clarke legal counsel, all committee members will be required to sign and expected to adhere to a Confidentiality Agreement & Code of Ethics.

The Witt/Kieffer search consultant team met with the Board of Trustees and with the cabinet in separate meetings when they were on campus earlier this month. They will return to campus on September 19 and 20 for meetings with various campus constituencies including open forums for faculty and staff. I will share schedule details as the visit nears.

We will continue to move forward in this search process and will keep you advised as it progresses. Thank you for your continued support of your search committee and our work on this vital project.

Sincerely,

Rob Wahlert
Chair, Clarke Board of Trustees

August 3, 2018

To Clarke Faculty and Staff:

Clarke’s Board of Trustees has begun preparing to search for Clarke’s 16th president, coinciding with Sister Joanne’s plan to retire on May 31, 2019.

In accordance with our board policies and procedures, I have appointed six trustees to serve on the presidential search committee. These individuals are:

• Karen Chiappetta ’83
• Mary Rose Corrigan M’04, Board of Trustees vice chair
• Sr. Margaret Mary Cosgrove
• Maureen Quann ’97
• Jane Daly Seaberg ’78
• Rob Wahlert, Board of Trustees chair and search committee chair
• Sr. Regina Qualls has graciously agreed to serve as secretary in a non-voting role.

Our procedures also call for three additional committee members:

• Two faculty members to be elected by their faculty peers, and
• One executive administrator (Cabinet member) elected by the executive administrators.

We will ask Sister Joanne to assist us in convening your respective groups as soon as possible so that the committee is fully staffed by the end of August.  The work of the search committee needs to begin in earnest shortly thereafter.

Serving on the search committee requires:

• Participating in conference calls, held approximately every 10-14 days.
• Preparing for committee meetings by reviewing information provided by the search firm.
• Attending face-to-face meetings on campus and off-site (possibly in Chicago) in the coming months. Out-of-pocket expenses for search committee travel will be reimbursed.
• Keen listening skills and candor throughout the process.
• Complete confidentiality related to all aspects of the search, including background information on candidates, the selection process, and other potentially sensitive information.

All announcements and updates on the work of the search committee will be coordinated through the search committee and released by the committee chair. Relevant information and updates will be posted on a presidential search specific webpage.

To date, trustees on the search committee have reviewed proposals and interviewed and vetted references from three nationally respected search firms. After thorough consideration, Witt/Kieffer has been selected to work with Clarke. Some of you may recall that Witt/Kieffer assisted Clarke in identifying Sr. Joanne.

On behalf of the trustees serving on the search committee, I welcome the participation of the elected faculty and Cabinet representatives and stand ready to answer any questions you may have throughout this important process.

We will work together in the coming year to continue moving Clarke forward while searching for Clarke’s 16th president. This is extremely important work and your continued support of these efforts is greatly appreciated.

Clarke Thrives!

Sincerely,

Rob Wahlert
Chair, Clarke University Board of Trustees

July 30, 2018

Dear Clarke University Alumni & Friends:

It is with mixed emotion that we acknowledge Sister Joanne Burrows’ intention to retire in May of 2019 as President of Clarke University.  She will be missed, and we offer her our best wishes in the next chapter of her life and ministry.

Since 2006, Clarke has benefitted from Sister Joanne’s steady hand, knowledge, and inspired leadership. We are deeply grateful for her tireless effort and unwavering commitment to prepare traditional, graduate, and continuing learners for careers and lives well-lived. Clarke’s BVM foundational values of Freedom, Education, Charity, and Justice have been the guiding principles of Sister Joanne’s presidency.

We will take this year to commemorate Clarke University’s 175 years of service, and in doing so, we will also reflect on the many contributions and milestones during Sister Joanne’s tenure:

• Moving Clarke from college to university status to reflect our commitment to serve learners of all ages and phases of their lives.

• Expanding Clarke’s array of undergraduate, graduate, and continuing education programs to stay progressive with the times and meet the needs of our learners and needs of the market.
  • New graduate programs: Doctor of Nurse Practitioner, Master of Arts in Education, Master of Organizational Leadership, and Master of Social Work.
  • New undergraduate programs: Environmental Studies, Food Science, Interdisciplinary Studies, Sport Management.

• Enhancing facilities that inspire learning within and beyond the classroom.
  • Successful completion of a campus master plan and a series of strategic plans.
  • Construction of the Marie Miske Center for Science Inquiry, made possible in part by the largest gift in Clarke history from alumna Marie Miske.
  • Creation of the Lingen Technology Commons and the Compass & Career Services Office in the Nicholas J. Schrup Library.
  • Development of the Jack and Rosemary Gantz Athletic Practice Center, made possible by the generous support of the Gantz family, to provide much needed space for growing and robust athletic programs.

• Expanding opportunities to compete and grow beyond the classroom.
  • New sports: men’s and women’s bowling, men’s and women’s lacrosse, e-sports (Fall 2018), football (Fall 2019).
  • Membership in the Heart of America Athletic Conference, one of the nation’s premier NAIA conferences.

• Caring for the whole student.
  • Planning for a new student health and wellness center in Mary Josita Hall.
  • Development of the Clarke Compass, a common experience for undergraduate students to develop professional skills, gain valuable experience, and prepare for employment or graduate school. Compass uniquely integrates major coursework, general education classes, and extra-curricular and co-curricular offerings to recognize the holistic student experience.

• Developing partnerships and engaging alumni and friends to support Clarke students and the Clarke University mission.
  • The University’s Capital Campaign raised over $38 million, exceeding goal of $34 million.
  • Initiated greater collaboration with the Iowa Catholic Collegiate Association and with Loras College to explore sharing of resources, expanded learning opportunities, and student support services.
  • Partnership formed with the Dubuque Community School District and Dubuque Senior High School to utilize the newly renovated Dalzell Field for athletic practices and competitions.

Sister Joanne has made a significant impact on Clarke University and we are grateful for her leadership. We will work together in the coming year to continue moving Clarke forward while searching for Clarke’s 16th president.

In accordance with Clarke’s Board policies and procedures, a search committee of six trustees, two faculty members, one executive administrator, and a committee secretary will be charged with this important assignment.

Board members on the presidential search committee have begun interviewing and vetting professional search consulting firms; they are in the process of finalizing the selection of this consultant. Information on the selected consulting firm and membership of the search committee will be shared with you when finalized. Be assured that updates on the presidential search process will be provided.

I wish to thank you, our cherished alumni and friends, for your generous support as we move forward in this year of celebration and transition. Thank you for all you do to ensure that Clarke and its mission thrive! The reward of our shared commitment is reflected in the lives of our graduates.

Sincerely,

Rob Wahlert
Chair, Clarke University Board of Trustees