The Presidential Search Committee expects to select a search firm by the end of this month and to present a candidate profile and case statement, a document detailing the University's "goals and aspirations for a new president," to the advisory committees by March, according to the newly launched Presidential Search Web site. "Successful presidential searches don't sit back and wait for applications to pour in. What a search firm does is help identify a lot of people who don't know yet that they really would like to be president at Brandeis," Chair of the Presidential Search Committee Meyer Koplow '72 said in a press conference with the Justice and The Hoot.

Koplow also explained that the search firm will be involved in conducting background checks on candidates through interviews to "make sure that there aren't any hidden issue[s]" that may result in an unsuccessful presidency. "[The Presidential Search Committee] intend[s] for the 'searching' part of our effort to begin by March," according to the Web site.

"[Presidential search firms] all cost about the same, . which is about a third of the first-year compensation for president," Koplow said. He did not specify if the search committee was considering a particular search firm.

The Presidential Search Committee, Faculty Advisory Committee and Student Advisory Committee were created after University President Jehuda Reinharz announced his intention to resign in a Sept. 24 e-mail to the Brandeis community.

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

Prof. Len Saxe (BCHM) chairs the subcommittee that was created to recommend a search firm. The subcommittee, which was created from within the Presidential Search Committee "is about to make a recommendation to the entire committee," Koplow wrote in his e-mail. Saxe was not on campus and could not be reached for comment.

Another subcommittee, also created from within the search committee and co-chaired by Prof. Gina Turrigiano (BIOL) and Student Union President Andy Hogan '11, is developing the candidate profile and case statement. "Drafts of the documents will be submitted to the entire committee in February. It is contemplated that proposed forms of both documents, once vetted by the entire committee, will be provided to the [Faculty Advisory Committee] and [Student Advisory Committee] for comment," Koplow wrote.

The Presidential Search Web site, launched last Wednesday, was created to update the Brandeis community and other interested parties about the search process, Vice President of Communications and External Affairs Andrew Gully told the Justice.

"It is also important that we provide a variety of information about Brandeis, its history, mission and goals to provide context for this search and a real sense of the University as the search committee works to identify candidates to lead Brandeis," Gully wrote in an e-mail to the Justice.

The Web site contains information about the Presidential Search Committee members and the University's mission, as well as biographical information about the current and past Brandeis presidents.

Koplow also confirmed in his e-mail to the Justice that Faculty Advisory Committee co-chairs Profs. Robin Feuer Miller (GRALL) and Anita Hill (Heller) will not be added to the Presidential Search Committee.

At a Dec. 3 Faculty Senate meeting, Chair of the Faculty Senate Prof. Sabine von Mering (GRALL) suggested that the co-chairs should be added to the search committee following the addition of the Student Advisory Committee chair to the search committee.

"When the search committee was formed, three faculty members were appointed but no student members were included. That is why a student was added as a nonvoting member. . [Miller and Hill] are kept up to date, their views are being reflected in committee deliberations, and both [Miller and Hill] will be asked to attend a number of committee meetings," Koplow wrote in his

e-mail.