Trustees thank Mills for contributions, plan search for successor

Emails: President Mills plans to step down

In an all-campus email, President Barry Mills announced this morning his decision to step down from his role at the conclusion of the 2014-2015 academic year. Mills has been at the college since 2001; in 2011 he announced plans to remain at the college for at least five more years.
To the Bowdoin Community:
I informed the Board of Trustees this morning that I will step down as president of the College next June at the conclusion of the 2014-15 academic year.
Anyone who knows me knows how much I love leading Bowdoin, and Karen and I and our boys are proud citizens of Brunswick. It is the honor of a lifetime to serve as president of this fantastic College, which is as strong today as in any period during its proud history. In fact, it is because of this strength and because of my affection for the College that I choose to step down next year. Transitions are inevitable, and after what will be 14 tremendous years as president, I believe it is time for me to make way for new leadership to propel Bowdoin into its next period of greatness.
For me, this is not a retirement, as I fully intend to seek another professional challenge. I don’t know what life has in store, but I have reinvented myself several times during the course of my career, and I am eager to see what comes next.
When the time comes, the Board will name a search committee for my successor that will include representatives from the student body and from faculty, staff, and alumni. There will be plenty of time later to look back on our time together, but not now. For now, it must be full speed ahead to preserve access and opportunity, and to strive constantly for the excellence that sets Bowdoin apart.
So, back to work and Go U Bears!
With very best wishes,
Sincerely,
Barry Mills

Emails: Trustee Jes Staley '79 to chair search for Mills' successor

Currently of BlueMountain Capital in New York City; former CEO of J.P. Morgan's Investment Bank

A week after President Barry Mills announced that he would be leaving Bowdoin at the end of the 2014-2015 school year, Chair of the Board of Trustees Debbie Barker wrote an all-campus email announcing the chair of the search committee.
To Members of the Bowdoin Community,
I am very pleased to announce that Trustee Jes Staley ’79, P’11 has agreed to chair the search for Bowdoin’s fifteenth president, and that Eli Orlic, vice president for development and alumni relations, will serve as staff liaison to the search committee.
Jes has earned his place as a respected member of Bowdoin's Board of Trustees and as a principled leader in the world of finance. He understands the importance of the search process and we know that, under his leadership, the search committee will approach the task of identifying Bowdoin’s next president seriously, thoughtfully, and with great enthusiasm. We are so fortunate that he has agreed to lead this effort.
Jes graduated cum laude from Bowdoin in 1979 with a degree in economics. In the nearly thirty-five years since, he has built an extraordinary career in the highly competitive world of finance, while also serving our College and other important institutions and foundations. He joined BlueMountain Capital in New York City last year after thirty-four years at J.P. Morgan, where he was CEO of J.P. Morgan’s Investment Bank and CEO of J.P. Morgan Asset Management. In addition to his service on our Board of Trustees and as chair of the Board’s Investment Committee, Jes currently serves as a director of the Robin Hood Foundation, the Council on Foreign Relations, Code Advisors, and the Investor Advisory Committee on Financial Markets of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.
Jes knows Bowdoin well as a dedicated and engaged alumnus, as a trustee, and as a proud parent. His daughter Alexa graduated magna cum laude in 2011 with high honors in physics and with a minor in mathematics. Currently a graduate student in physics at Columbia University, her work was featured last week in the Bowdoin Daily Sun. Jes lives in New York City with his wife, Deby. Their younger daughter, Sophia, is a senior at Brown.
We will assemble the rest of the search committee in the coming days. It will be a group representing the many constituencies of the Bowdoin community that will move forward with great confidence in the strength of our College and in our ability to identify Bowdoin’s next leader. We will announce the full committee membership during the May 8-10 campus meetings of the Board of Trustees.
I am grateful to Jes for his willingness to lead our search process, to Eli for her able assistance, and to each of you for your enthusiastic participation in the life of the College.
Sincerely,
Debbie Barker ’80, P’16
Chair, Bowdoin College Board of Trustees

Emails

Trustees thank Mills for contributions, plan search for successor

April 14, 2014

Shortly after President Barry Mills publicly announced his plans to step down in 2015 via an all-campus email, the Board of Trustees responded with an email thanking Mills for his contributions to Bowdoin. The Board plans to name a committee that will search for a successor to Mills when they convene in May.

To the Bowdoin Community,

Barry’s announcement today makes us value all the more his exceptional contributions to Bowdoin and his willingness to do what he thinks best for our College, even if it means stepping down from a job that he does so well and truly loves. We are going to miss him very much when he leaves, but—as he has so clearly reminded us—he’s not gone yet, and we all have much to do together before that day comes.

A part of that work will be the important task of identifying Barry’s successor, and at our campus meetings in May we will name a presidential search committee that includes members of the Board, faculty, students, staff, and other alumni representatives. Barry’s shoes will be tremendously difficult to fill, but thanks to his leadership, our College has never been in a stronger position. We will take on this task with gratitude for his remarkable service and with confidence in our ability to identify the very best candidate to serve as Bowdoin's 15th president.

There will be many opportunities later to reflect on Barry's accomplishments and our time together. For now, we thank Barry and Karen for giving us the time necessary to identify Bowdoin’s next leader and we are grateful for Barry's continued energetic focus on our goals, our aspirations, and our future.

Sincerely,

Debbie Barker ’80, P’16

Chair, Bowdoin College Board of Trustees

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