Presidential Search

TO: Members of the Alma College Community

FROM: Darryl G. Schimeck ’82, Chairman, Board of Trustees and Erika Powers Appelt ’91, Trustee and Presidential Search Committee Chair

Campus Community,

On behalf of the presidential search committee and the Board of Trustees, it’s a privilege to announce Dr. Joseph L. Odenwald as the 14th President of Alma College.

The appointment was unanimously approved by the Alma College Board of Trustees, based on the recommendation of the presidential search committee. Dr. Odenwald will assume his new role on June 1, 2025, succeeding interim president Eric Blackhurst ’83.

We had an extraordinarily strong pool of both internal and external candidates from which to choose our 14th president. Dr. Odenwald’s commitment to liberal arts education, experience as an impactful leader in higher education, and enthusiastic vision for Alma’s future made him the clear choice to be our next leader. He truly embraces our mission and will bring both a spirit of innovation to the campus as well as a respect for our rich tradition as a leading residential liberal arts college.

In some ways, it’s hard to imagine this process only started about six months ago. The presidential search committee worked diligently and thoughtfully amid their many other obligations to make the best decision possible. We are grateful for their efforts, along with anyone who participated in the listening sessions that were hosted by our partners in this search, the Storbeck Search team, and shared their thoughts about the future of Alma College.

We expect Dr. Odenwald will introduce himself to you all soon and look forward to welcoming him to campus. Let’s show him, his wife Laura, and their son Joseph the best of what we’re all about.

Go Scots!

TO: Members of the Alma College Community

FROM: Erika Powers Appelt ’91, Trustee and Presidential Search Committee Chair

On behalf of the College’s Presidential Search Committee members, I am pleased to share that the search is progressing well and on schedule. We recently met in person with a leading group of semi-finalist candidates and were very impressed with both their qualifications and their enthusiasm for Alma.

From that group we identified a set of finalist candidates who will participate in additional conversations with College representatives in December and January. We are confident that from these efforts will emerge an exceptional leader to guide the College in its next chapter.

We will share another update with you early in the New Year. For now, thank you for your ongoing support and interest.

TO: Members of the Alma College Community

FROM: Erika Powers Appelt ’91, Trustee and Presidential Search Committee Chair

Warm autumn greetings. I am writing with an update on our shared efforts to identify Alma College’s next President.

We would like to thank all of you who participated in recent conversations with our consultants Julie Tea and Brian Bustin of Storbeck Search. Your thoughtful comments provided the basis for the creation of the search prospectus, a valuable tool that will be used to solicit nominations and recruit candidates nationally. We invite you to review the finalized copy which is available on the College’s presidential search website as well as the Storbeck Search website.

As you review the search prospectus, please pay particular attention to the attributes most highly desired in our new President. We urge you to suggest people you know who could serve effectively in this critically important position, or those you think might know of potential candidates. Please forward their names to Julie Tea and Brian Bustin at AlmaPresident@storbecksearch.com.

Our committee is well aware that the success of our search depends on the involvement of all members of the Alma community. Please rest assured that names and information will be treated with full confidentiality.

Over the next several weeks, we will generate a national candidate pool through nominations received from you and others, inquiries at other colleges and universities similar to Alma in scope and mission, advertising in The Chronicle of Higher Education and Inside Higher Ed and on a number of other relevant websites, and the work of our search firm. In mid-November, the search committee will begin to narrow the candidate pool.

The search is off to a good start. I will write to you again as we enter subsequent stages of the process. Thank you for your support.

TO: Members of the Alma College Community
FROM: Erika Powers Appelt ’91, Trustee and Presidential Search Committee Chair

I am writing with another update regarding our shared efforts to identify Alma College’s next President.

On behalf of the Presidential Search Committee members, I would like to thank all of you who participated in conversations with our consultants Julie Tea and Brian Bustin of Storbeck Search during their campus visit this week. We deeply value your input and suggestions.

As promised, our Storbeck Search partners are offering additional, virtual listening sessions for those of you who may not have had a chance to meet them during their campus visit or who have additional thoughts to share. Please make a note of the respective sessions below and participate as your schedules will allow.

Wednesday, September 11
4:00-4:45 p.m. – Faculty
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/82870712528?pwd=0N2vvt0O5ubvnxKo4cbQaqcPckRPKK.1

Thursday, September 12
9:00-9:45 a.m. – Administrators/Staff
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/82142213499?pwd=xIe5PN4vxyFnjGB81myKGa76s5Onu2.1

Friday, September 13
2:00-2:45 p.m. – Students
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/82189948619?pwd=uQciqvasTZgU0WwmdPJC9LT02acFSM.1

To complement the listening sessions, an electronic constituent survey remains available for community members to share their thoughts regarding the search. The survey is available at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/AlmaPresidentSearchSurvey. Please feel free to access the link and complete the survey through Friday, September 13th at 5:00 p.m. Please also share the link with others who have an interest in the College’s future. Please rest assured that the survey responses will be anonymous. Responses will be collated by our Storbeck Search team.

On the heels of these sessions and the closure of the survey, our consultants and Alma’s marketing and communications team will craft and share a draft search prospectus with the search committee for editing and revision. The final copy will be distributed to the College community and beyond as we look to build a talented and deep candidate pool.

Nominations and expressions of interest continue to be welcomed and may be directed to our search firm team at AlmaPresident@storbecksearch.com.

Please be in touch with any questions at presidentialsearch@alma.edu. Thank you for your support of the search.

TO: Members of the Alma College Community
FROM: Erika Powers Appelt ’91, Trustee and Presidential Search Committee Chair

Dear Campus Community:

I hope the fall term is off to a smooth and energizing start for you. I write to you today on behalf of the Presidential Search Committee with another update regarding the progress we are making in identifying the 14th President of Alma College.

The search committee met earlier this month to receive its charge from the Board of Trustees, to discuss the search timeline and related key activities, to avow its commitment to a fair and equitable process, and to affirm the importance of confidentiality in our work. It was a positive meeting, and the committee is excited about the path forward.

Our partners on the search, the Storbeck Search team of Managing Director Julie Tea and Senior Associate Brian Bustin, will be meeting with the Alma community on Wednesday, September 4th to learn more about the institution’s greatest strengths, the challenges and opportunities awaiting new leadership, and the skill sets and personal attributes you see as most important for our next President to possess. The Storbeck team will host open listening sessions with faculty, students, administrators, and staff in the Thomas Andison Chapel. Calendar invitations for these meetings have been shared with the community. It is extremely important to the Search Committee that we gather input from as many folks as possible, so I encourage you to attend and share your thoughts—our future work will be stronger and better informed the more we hear from you. Julie and Brian look forward to meeting with you and to visiting campus on the 4th.

As a complement to the listening sessions, an electronic constituent survey is available for community members to share their thoughts regarding the search. The survey is available at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/AlmaPresidentSearchSurvey. Please feel free to access the link and complete the survey through Friday, September 13th at 5:00 p.m. Please also share the link with others who have an interest in the College’s future. Please rest assured that the survey responses will be anonymous. Responses will be collated by our Storbeck Search team.

Thank you in advance for your willingness to participate in these important exchanges about Alma’s future. We are eager to hear your perspectives.

Having gathered information from across the campus and via the survey, our consultants will then work with Alma’s marketing and communications team to compile a draft of the search prospectus, an important document that will describe the College as well as the leadership agenda for the next President. Our consultants will share the draft with the search committee for editing and revision before the final copy is distributed to the College community and beyond as we look to build a talented, diverse, and deep candidate pool.

Nominations and expressions of interest are welcomed and may be directed to our search firm team at AlmaPresident@storbecksearch.com.

Please be in touch with any questions at presidentialsearch@alma.edu. Thank you for your support of the search.