Minnesota State Kicks-Off Next Phase of Search for Chancellor

Posted: September 20, 2017

Contact: Doug Anderson, doug.anderson@MinnState.edu, 651-201-1426

ST. PAUL, Minn., September 20, 2017 – With the retirement of Steven Rosenstone, who served as chancellor from 2011 – 2017, and with Devinder Malhotra serving as interim chancellor, Minnesota State has begun the next phase in the search for its permanent chancellor. 

“The most important responsibility of the Board of Trustees is the selection of the chancellor of the fourth largest system of higher education in the nation,” said Michael Vekich, chair of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities Board of Trustees. “This is a critical role, responsible for providing leadership for our state colleges and universities as they develop the talent that businesses and communities across Minnesota need in order to thrive. We are committed to filling this role with a gifted leader who has the experience and the collaborative skills required to keep our system of state colleges and universities moving forward.”

To assist in the search process, the Board of Trustees has appointed a search advisory committee comprised of trustees, students, faculty, and staff as well as presidents, members of the chancellor’s cabinet, and community leaders.

To manage the search process, Minnesota State has engaged Wheless Partners, one of the nation’s leading executive search consultant and human capital advisor firms experienced in working with a range of clients, including higher education, global Fortune 500 companies, private equity firms, government organizations, public and private institutions, and entrepreneurial startups. Wheless Partners has led many successful executive searches across the state of Minnesota, and the higher education team has conducted presidential and chancellor searches for numerous public and private universities and systems nationally. “We were impressed,” Vekich added, “with Wheless’ track record for going beyond traditional methods of recruiting to develop a broad pool of candidates.” 

According to Vekich, the search will continue until a permanent chancellor is found.

The colleges and universities of Minnesota State offer more than 3,700 academic programs and over 600 online programs, and award over 40,000 degrees, certificates, and diplomas each year. More than 87 percent of graduates get jobs related to their field of study, and over 80 percent stay in Minnesota to work or continue their education.

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Minnesota State includes 30 community and technical colleges and seven state universities serving approximately 375,000 students. It is the fourth-largest system of two-year colleges and four-year universities in the United States.