Ithaca College has announced the third-party firm tasked with finding the next president of the college.

Spencer Stuart, an international executive search firm, will assist in the search for the ninth president of the college following the planned retirement of President Tom Rochon on July 1, 2017. According to the April 4 announcement on behalf of James Nolan, chair of the Presidential Search Committee, Michele Haertel and Mary Gorman from Spencer Stuart along with the search committee will hold meetings throughout April to gather input from the campus community.

The first meeting will be April 6 between the committee and Haertel and Gorman, which will serve to develop a strategy for how to best engage with the campus community. They also plan to meet with campus constituencies April 19–20 and with the Alumni Association Board of Directors and the Ithaca College Board of Trustees in May. Students unable to attend the meeting will be able to submit feedback electronically, according to the announcement.

According to the post, Spencer Stuart was chosen from a group of five firms because of its experience working with other academic institutions, its commitment to engage the campus community and its understanding of the high education landscape. Spencer Stuart has placed the new presidents of Colgate University and Middlebury College.