Search firm for UNCW chancellor may cost six figures

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — It is no surprise that most university chancellors make six figures, but UNC Wilmington plans to spend that much finding a new leader.

A subcommittee of the UNCW Chancellor Search Committee met Monday via conference call to talk about picking a search firm to assist with the search. Like the saying goes, nothing in life is free. No exact price tag has been declared, but the numbers coming in to hire a search firm are between $75,000 to $100,000.

While the university may be looking to cut the budget in other areas, the question now is why spend this much just to have someone else find the next chancellor?

“I think it just makes the process better,” said Chancellor Search Committee chair Wendy Murphy. “It will bring some candidates to the table that we might not get if we did not have the search firm. So I think it’s critical here.”

Murphy said another big reason for hiring a firm is that it brings confidentiality. The candidates for the chancellor position will most likely be working at another university. Keeping their interest in UNCW under wraps will keep them from losing their current job.

The search committee will interview all four search firms over the phone later this week. The committee hopes to make a decision on the firms by the end of the month.