The search for the 14th president of Albright College is in progress. According to Trustees Karen Rightmire ’69 and John Baily ’65, co-chairs of the Presidential Search Committee, the new president should be named by early March. The next president should take office on or about June 1, 2005. The Search Committee is assisted by search consultant Dr. Herman Collier of Academic Search Consultation Service, Washington, D.C., a firm that specializes in higher education searches.

After interviews and conversations with all Albright constituencies, trustees, faculty, students, alumni, administration, support staff, friends and corporate leaders, the Search Committee has developed a list of leadership traits important for the next president to possess. This report is available on the Albright College website, www.albright.edu/presidentialsearch and the ASCS website at www.academic-search.org.

All Albrightians are invited to suggest individuals who could serve effectively as Albright’s next president or who might know potential candidates. Please forward their name(s) to the Search Committee in care of Brenda Vagnoni, executive assistant to the Committee (610-921-7597) or by e-mail at bvagnoni@alb.edu. Names may also be referred to Dr. Collier at 910-695-9953 or by e-mail at hcollier2@earthlink.net.

“The search committee is well aware that the success of our search depends on the involvement of all members of the college community. By nominating strong candidates, you can be immediately and critically involved in the search process,” said Karen Rightmire. “Over the next few months, we will continue to generate the candidate pool through nominations received from you, national education associations, foundation officials, other colleges and universities, friends of the college, advertising in the Chronicle of Higher Education, and the work of our consultant. We will begin to narrow the candidate pool throughout the Fall semester, moving toward a time in February 2005 when finalist interviews involving the entire campus will be held.”

Feedback and input from the Albright community are welcome. Please feel free to contact any member of the Search committee or its co-chairs, John T. Baily at jtbaily@aol.com and Karen A. Rightmire at karenr@uwberks.org, or Herman Collier at hcollier2@earthlink.net.

Albright has always been known as an exceptionally friendly place, but this summer the College began a new, campus-wide Service Excellence initiative designed to make the Albright experience exceptionally positive for every person who comes in contact with Albright. Service Excellence objectives include creating a welcoming environment that exceeds expectations for everyone we serve, and making sure our services truly meet the needs of a campus that operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

The program involves representatives from every area on campus at every level, including a large number of students. “Service Excellence is intended to be a grass roots, cross-functional initiative,” said Barbara Marshall, associate vice president of college relations and marketing, who chairs the Service Excellence Team. “Not only are we listening to those we serve, we’re also looking at the way the College operates and how different areas within the College communicate with each other and work together in providing services. Many services and systems involve multiple departments, so crossing department lines is essential in making access to services easy for students and others.

“We are still in the early stages of the program,” said Marshall, “but already we have made some real progress. The position of Student Ombudsman has been created to help students find solutions to knotty problems. Sally Stetler, director of student activities, has taken on that role. Because small maintenance items in the residence halls can cause major annoyance for students, the Facilities Department has created a “Mr. Fixit” position dedicated to quick resolution of problems in Albright’s seven residence halls. And improved campus way-finding signage is in the works.”

The mascot of the Service Excellence Team is the gorilla. “We kept talking about focusing first on ways to improve service that were so obvious they were like the ‘400-pound gorilla in the room,’” Marshall said. “Impossible to ignore.” In informing students about Service Excellence on campus, lunch one day featured a “Going Bananas for Service Excellence” ice cream sundae bar (complete with an SE Team member in a gorilla suit), with the SE Team encouraging students to let them know about any “gorillas” they encounter.

The Service Excellence Mission:

To make the total Albright experience positive for every individual we encounter by empowering ourselves to exceed their expectations and make them feel valued, respected and welcomed.