On The State of The Registry

Mr. George Matthews, Chancellor & CEO
Dr. Bryan Carlson, President

Registry Members, Friends, and Colleagues:

A little more than a month ago, Bryan, I, and the rest of our senior leadership team sat together—flanked by the nearly 400 mugs representing past and current colleges and universities we have served—discussing new opportunities on the horizon. How our shared world has changed so much since then.

No doubt many of you have been reading the steady stream of reports published by The Chronicle of Higher Ed, HigherEdJobs, and others detailing the challenges imposed by the Coronavirus on permanent search and institutional hiring activities. With so many states effectively shut down, airline and rail travel heavily restricted, and social distancing measures still in effect it is simply not feasible for many institutions to carry out the complicated search processes necessary to secure a permanent leader.

Yet our collective work in higher education does not stop. It cannot stop. And as the work in higher education continues, so too does the work of The Registry. While we cannot know with confidence what further challenges may await us, we can say this much now: The Registry’s doors are open, and our Members are as prepared as ever to meet the leadership demands of the moment. In fact, it is clear to many that an experienced interim is more suited to crisis management than someone beginning a presidency, vice presidency, or deanship for the first time.

We are inspired by so many of you who have reached out to us to articulate a desire to serve during this period of uncertainty. From our perspective, a national crisis such as this magnifies the efficacy of The Registry interim model, and we will continue to find new ways to cultivate opportunities on your behalf. To that end, we have designed and distributed several new pieces of literature to our college and university clients reinforcing the benefits of seasoned interim leadership. Most recently, we shared with more than 3,000 leaders in higher education 10 timely strategies that are currently being utilized by Registry clients to manage this crisis. Over the coming days and weeks ahead we will release similar targeted messages at key decision makers within the academy to ensure that Registry interim solutions are top of mind. 

In closing, we want to take this moment to reflect on those of our Registry membership and their families who may have been impacted by the Coronavirus. We are aware that some of our Members–or their husbands, wives, daughters, sons, or grandchildren–have overcome the Virus or continue to battle against it. We extend our deepest sympathies to those who may be affected and pray for their swift and complete recovery. 

Please contact us with questions as we all move through this time.

George, Bryan, et. al