In January 2019, Chancellor Patrick Gallagher announced that Dr. Arthur S. Levine has decided to step down from his roles as senior vice chancellor for the health sciences and John and Gertrude Petersen Dean of the School of Medicine. Levine, who has worked at the University of Pittsburgh for more than 20 years, will remain in his current roles until a successor has been identified.

The formation of the search committee for this successor is underway. Provost and Senior Vice Chancellor Ann E. Cudd and Steve Shapiro will lead that committee as chair and vice-chair, respectively. Shapiro is a distinguished faculty member in the medical school and chief medical and scientific officer of UPMC.

Below are answers to some questions you may have about the search process.

Who will be members of the search committee?

The committee will be composed of faculty, staff and students. The Guidelines for Search Committees for Senior Academic Administrators requires that health sciences faculty make up 50 percent of the committee. The following groups will help to shape the membership of the committee: 

  • Senate Council will elect five faculty representatives (two faculty from health sciences, two faculty from the School of Medicine and one faculty member from the Provost’s area schools).
  • Staff Council will select one staff representative.
  • The Graduate and Professional Student Government and Student Government Board will each select one student representative. 
  • The chancellor will add members to the committee to ensure diverse and equitable participation by affected constituencies.

I am a faculty member. How do I participate in Senate Council’s election for membership in the search committee?

Nominations for the ballot have closed, but faculty members can recommend additions to that ballot by petition until Monday, March 11. Voting will take place from Wednesday, March 13, to Monday, March 25.

The search committee has been formed. What’s next?

The committee will gather input from the community and then collaborate with a to-be-determined search firm to draft a job profile. The firm will use the profile to recruit candidates.

Upon receiving applications, the committee will review these documents and select a subset of candidates for initial interviews. Following these initial interviews, which will be held at a neutral location, the committee will recommend a few candidates to participate in on-campus interviews. Candidate identities will remain confidential throughout this process.

I am not a member of the search committee. How do I participate in the search process?

All Pitt faculty, staff and students can participate in the search process in two ways:  

  1. Attend a town hall meeting. At these sessions, audience members will have opportunities to offer their input on the search process.
  2. Complete an online survey. The results from this survey will be aggregated and shared with the search committee.

The town hall meeting schedule and survey details are forthcoming and will be shared when available.

This piece originally ran in @Pitt on March 6, 2019.