Presidential Search

The search for Mount Marty University’s 12th president is underway.

Our search consultants, Maya Ranchod Kirkhope and Stuart Dorsey of Academic Search, are developing a job advertisement and position profile describing the key institutional needs and priorities, as well as a related set of desired characteristics for our next president. The search committee has spent significant time discussing and crafting the position profile and has taken into consideration the substantial and robust feedback, input, and recommendations from constituent groups with regard to the qualifications, experiences, and skills sought in the next president. We are very grateful for your suggestions, and we will seriously consider your input as we narrow the candidate pool to select our semifinalist and finalist candidates.

As we begin the recruitment phase, our consultants have begun to work on generating a robust candidate pool. In addition to posting the job ad in key higher education publications, our consultants will reach out to a broad network of contacts and follow up on nominations submitted by you and other members of the MMU community. We invite you to suggest people you know who could serve effectively as our next president or who might recommend potential candidates. When nominating, please complete the confidential online nomination form or forward the name(s) and contact information, including email address, to our consultants at MMUPresident@academicsearch.org. The success of our search will depend on the involvement, support, and interest of all members of the University community.

The search committee will begin to review applications in mid-July and will identify a small group of candidates whose skills and expertise appear to be most closely related to our needs. The committee expects to conduct off-site semifinalist interviews in early September and interview finalists in late September. We expect the successful candidate to assume office on or around January 1, 2026.

You will receive another update on the presidential search in a few weeks. Thank you for your continued interest and support.

Sincerely,

Rob Stephenson and Deb Fischer-Clemens
Co-Chairs, Presidential Search Committee

View the search profile here.

The following is a broad timeline of the significant steps in the search process:

The search committee will begin to review applications in mid-July and will identify a small group of candidates whose skills and expertise appear to be most closely related to our needs. The committee expects to conduct off-site semifinalist interviews in early September and interview finalists in late September. We expect the successful candidate to assume office on or around January 1, 2026.

• April 2025: Form search committee
• May 2025: Publish search profile
• July 2025: Begin application review
• September 2025: Interview candidates
• January 2026: New president assumes office 

• Dr. Jim Barnett
  • Program director of Nurse Anesthesia 
• S. Penny Bingham
  • Member of Mount Marty Board of Trustees
  • Prioress of Sacred Heart Monastery
• S. Kathy Burt
  • Associate professor of nursing
• S. Candy Chrystal
  • Subprioress of Sacred Heart Monastery
• Mr. Denis Fokken
  • Mount Marty community member
• Ms. Deb Fischer-Clemens
  • Vice chair of Mount Marty Board of Trustees
• Dr. Katie Harrell 
  • Vice president for student success & title ix coordinator
• Dr. Jason Heron
  • Assistant professor of theology
  • S. Wilma Lyle endowed chair of theology
• Fr. James Keiter
  • Member of Mount Marty Board of Trustees
  • Pastor, Archdiocese of Omaha
• Dr. Bill Miller
  • Executive vice president & provost
• Ms. Trinity Palmquist
  • Member of Mount Marty Student Government Association
• Mr. Rob Stephenson
  
  • Chair of Mount Marty Board of Trustees
  • President & chief executive officer of First Dakota National Bank
• Ms. Sheila Woodward
  
  • Mount Marty community member
  • Partner of Marlow, Woodward & Huff, PLLC

Submit nominations here.

1. Why is confidentiality so important in a search process?

Many candidates will hold key positions at other institutions and will submit an application only if confidentiality is guaranteed. Members of the search committee have signed an agreement that secures confidentiality for all discussions, documents, and deliberations related to the search.

2. What is the role of the search committee chairs?

The search chairs are the official spokespersons for the search committee and, thus, the only individuals authorized to speak on behalf of the search committee and the search process. The chairs will provide regular updates to the campus community and can address any questions or concerns from members of the community through the duration of the search. 

3. What information can search committee members share with me?

The information search committee members are able to share with the campus community is limited. The committee members are bound by a code of conduct that requires they not share any information discussed during search committee meetings, nor any information related to candidates, even after the search has closed.

4. Whom do I contact if I want to share specific information or if I have a question about the search?

Please contact the search chairs or search consultants with any information or questions.

5. Will there be regular updates on the search?

Yes, the search chairs will provide regular updates to the campus community at critical points in the search, and these updates will be posted to this website.

6. How can I make a nomination?

Nominations can be submitted in confidence to MMUPresident@academicsearch.org. If you are considering nominating someone, please carefully review the qualifications and experiences as outlined in the position profile before submitting a nomination. Your nomination will go directly to the search consultants, who will reach out to the nominee. The search consultants will not provide your name to the nominee, but you are free to do so.

7. Are internal candidates treated any differently from external candidates?

Internal candidates are vetted in the same way as external candidates. All candidates are assessed based on the criteria identified in the position profile. The committee very carefully selects the strongest candidates, either internal or external, for further consideration based on the required and desired qualifications.

8. How will members of the campus community participate in the search process?

Many members of the campus community met with the consultants during the initial campus visit. The information shared during this visit is particularly valuable during the recruiting phase of the search process.

9. When will the appointee take office?

The announcement of the new president is expected in late October 2025 and the new president will assume office upon President Long’s retirement in January 2025.

Mount Marty University has selected Academic Search as consultants to conduct the presidential search. 

Maya Ranchod Kirkhope Vice President and Senior Consultant maya.kirkhope@academicsearch.org	Stuart Dorsey Senior Consultant stuart.dorsey@academicsearch.org

For more than four decades, Academic Search has offered executive search services to higher education institutions, associations, and related organizations. Academic Search was founded by higher education leaders on the principle that we provide the most value to partner institutions by combining best practices with our deep knowledge and experience. Our mission today is to enhance institutional capacity by providing outstanding executive recruitment services, executive coaching, and transition support, in partnership with our parent organization, the American Academic Leadership Institute.