UC Santa Cruz is spending $160,000 on finding a new Campus Provost/Executive Vice Chancellor (CP/EVC), one of the most powerful roles in campus administration.
In a letter to the campus community on Oct. 8, Chancellor Cynthia Larive announced that UCSC has, “retained the executive search firm WittKieffer to conduct the recruitment.” Executive search firms are corporations that assist in hiring university administrators.
City on a Hill Press obtained the contract between UCSC and WittKieffer, which lists an estimated CP/EVC salary of $500,000, a noticeable increase from the $461,685 that Lori Kletzer earned prior to stepping down from the position.
According to the contract timeline, initial interviews have already begun.
WittKieffer requested a $150,000 fee for the search, 30 percent of the estimated pay for the position. They approximate an additional $10,000 for “out-of-pocket expenses,” which include, among other fees, consultant and candidate travel and accommodations, courier services, advertising and overnight delivery.
Past clients of the firm have questioned WittKieffer’s methods. In 2018, the University of North Carolina system barred WittKieffer from doing business with them for failing to meet the school’s expectations.
According to a 2024 Honolulu Civil Beat article, the firm was paid nearly $148,000 to hire a new president at the University of Hawaii. However, the candidate WittKieffer selected had multiple accusations of discrimination at both City University of New York and Georgia State University, which the firm did not publicly report.
WittKieffer typically provides verbal reports rather than written reports, which often means that full documentation of the search never becomes publicly available. These procedures leave most students and faculty in the dark regarding what the firm actually does during the hiring process.
Judith Wilde is a professor at George Mason University and one of the few researchers who examines the use of executive search firms. Although she sees the potential value of search firms in the early hiring process, she also expressed light skepticism of what they can offer a university.
“Search firms are not the end-all-be-all. When we did our research, we got 61 contracts. We were amazed at what we saw,” Wilde said. “Search firms set up the contract and list pretty vague generalities about what they will do for the university.”
The university defends its use of executive search firms, citing UCSC’s status as a research university that values student success.
“UCSC determined that partnering with an executive search firm was important to facilitate a broad, rigorous nationwide recruitment,” said UCSC spokesperson Scott Hernandez-Jason.
WittKieffer could not be reached for comment.
UCSC continues to manage a structural budget deficit of $79 million. Layoffs have already occurred in the library, in grant management, the languages and applied linguistics department, and more.
Last spring, the committees on Teaching and Educational Policy released a report that reflected faculty concerns with budget management on campus. Major findings of the report indicate that morale is “low and trending lower.” Faculty describe having to cut various programs and research opportunities for undergraduates.
UCSC believes that allocating funds to the hiring search for a CP/EVC is a necessary expenditure.
“Investing in strong leadership is critical to achieving our long-term vision while overcoming near-term challenges,” Hernandez-Jason said.
For such an important position, students are skeptical over how the university is approaching hiring practices. The CP/EVC search advisory committee includes a singular undergraduate student, Shaniya Woods, who currently serves as Vice Chair of Academic Affairs in the Student Union Assembly.
“I have not run into other students throughout this process,” Woods said. “Which is very interesting for someone who will have such a big effect on the environment of our university … It’s similar to how a lot of other places on this campus run,” she continued. “Third parties, lots of mystery and most of the time very inaccessible.”
UCSC contract with WittKieffer —
