The University Board of Trustees is creating a presidential search committee in light of University President Jehuda Reinharz's Sept. 24 announcement to resign."Certainly there will be Board members [on the committee]; certainly there will be some faculty. What other constituencies will be represented, I don't know yet," said Chairman of the Board of Trustees Malcolm Sherman in an interview with the Justice. He added that he is meeting with Student Union representatives this week to discuss student involvement in the search process.

Reinharz will remain president until a new president has been selected or until June 30, 2011, according to a Sept. 24 University press release.

Reinharz told the Justice Sept. 24 that his decision to resign is based on "the realization that I've completed most of the things that I want to complete [at Brandeis]. ... I have an opportunity to do something different. ... I decided this was a good time."

The search committee will interview students, faculty and administrators to obtain their opinions of how the University should develop over the next 10 years and what qualities the next president should possess, Sherman explained. The results will be presented to the Board, and after the Board's approval on how the committee should proceed, a personal consultant will be hired to assist the committee in reviewing résumé of potential candidates.

"Hopefully when [the search committee] narrow[s] it down to a reasonable number, [the Board of Trustees] will extend the interviews to both students, faculty and administration, out of which we will then chose a new president," Sherman said.

The number of members on the search committee is still under discussion, Sherman said.

He added that he hopes the committee will be formed in time for the next Board meeting at the end of October.

Reinharz will be a "highly valuable resource" in the search process, Sherman said.

"Certainly we would like to talk with him on what his ideas are for the future since he's molded the past, and he knows many people and he is a highly regarded person," he said.

Reinharz wrote in an e-mail to the Justice that he will not play a formal role in the search committee but will be pleased to offer his views to the chair of the committee if asked.

Two seats for faculty members have been reserved on the search committee, said Chair of the Faculty Senate Prof. Sabine von Mering (GRALL) at a faculty meeting last Thursday. She also said at the meeting that the Senate has received 18 nominations for these seats as of last Thursday.

"All faculty are invited to submit nominations at this point," wrote von Mering in an e-mail to the Justice.

The Senate will select the successful candidates through an election or caucus, she wrote.

"We know that the search committee's main job will be to convince a stellar candidate to take the job. Therefore, our representatives on the committee need to be people with whom Brandeis can show off. ... They need to know Brandeis really well and be able to articulate our strengths," von Mering wrote in her e-mail.

In an interview with Justice, von Mering did not disclose the names of the nominees but said that the deadline for nominations is this week.

The Senate is pushing for more faculty representation on the search committee, von Mering told the Justice.

"Ultimately the Board of Trustees decides what to do, but the faculty are very important voice in this, . so we are speaking with [Sherman] and conveying to him our sense of urgency that the faculty need to have a very strong representation on the search committee, because that will help bring the best person to Brandeis," von Mering said.

The Senate is looking at how past presidential searches have been conducted at Brandeis and at other educational institutions in order to convince the Board to increase the faculty ratio on the search committee, according to von Mering.

Additionally, open faculty hearings were held last week to discuss the next president's ideal qualities.

"The faculty needs to, first of all, have a chance to think collectively about our vision and about our sense of what it is that we do. . The faculty is what the students come to [the] University for; we do work that makes Brandeis Brandeis," von Mering said.

The Senate has also been charged by the Board to put together a faculty advisory committee, which will not be a part of the presidential search committee but will help inform the search committee about faculty concerns, von Mering said.

Union President Andy Hogan '11 confirmed that he is meeting with Board members this week to discuss student input in the process.

"The role of students is still being negotiated in this whole process. My hope is that there will be student representation on the search committee in addition to a student advisory committee," Hogan said. He elaborated that a student advisory committee would represent more views of the student body and provide student feedback to the search committee.