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Ohio State Spending Over $340,000 On Search For New President

The Ohio State University
Angie Wang
/
Associated Press
The Ohio State University

The Ohio State University has released more details about its search for a new president. 

Boston-based search firm Isaacson Miller will be paid more than $340,000 to find the replacement for Michael Drake, who has served as Ohio State's president since 2014. 

The services agreement, signed in January, says the final payment will be adjusted to reflect one-third of the next president's cash compensation in the first year of the job. 

Drake said he hoped to retire by the end of the 2019-2020 school year. Ohio State officials hope to have his replacement by July.

The school will begin hosting public forums next week to get feedback from the community on qualities they'd like to see in a candidate. 

Forums are scheduled for:

  • Wednesday, Feb. 12, from 4-5 p.m. in room 115 in the Biomedical Research Tower, 460 West 12th Avenue
  • Friday, Feb. 14, from 2-3 p.m. in Multipurpose Room 165 in Thompson Library, 1858 Neil Avenue Mall
  • Wednesday, Feb. 19, from 2-3 p.m. in the U.S. Bank Conference Theater in the Ohio Union, 1739 North High Street

In collaboration with Isaacson Miller, the presidential search is being led by a committee of the Ohio State Board of Trustees, chaired by Lou Von Thaer. Other members include Alex Fischer, Hiroyuki Fujita, Erin Hoeflinger, Brent R. Porteus, Abigail Wexner and John Zeiger. The process is assisted by a 20-member advisory commitee made up of students, faculty, staff and community stakeholders.

Isaacson Miller previously helped Ohio State recruit and hire its new vice president of student life.

Copyright 2020 WOSU 89.7 NPR News. To see more, visit .

Paige Pfleger is a reporter for WOSU, Central Ohio's NPR station. Before joining the staff of WOSU, Paige worked in the newsrooms of NPR, Vox, Michigan Radio, WHYY and The Tennessean. She spent three years in Philadelphia covering health, science, and gender, and her work has appeared nationally in The Washington Post, Marketplace, Atlas Obscura and more.