A search committee has been formed and is seeking input on a successor to Stanford University Provost John Etchemendy, who has served alongside outgoing President John Hennessy for 16 years and is the chief academic and chief budgetary officer of the university.

Etchemendy announced his intention to step down once a successor could be appointed from within the university academic community. Richard Saller, dean of the School of Humanities and Sciences, will chair the committee, which will make its recommendations to incoming Stanford President-elect Marc Tessier-Lavigne.

The provost is responsible for administering the academic program, including both instruction and research, and for the coordination of the administrative and support functions of the university with its academic purposes.

“The committee plans to work expeditiously and is confident that, with participation from the community, we will be able to find the absolutely best person to be Stanford’s next provost,” Saller said.

As a first important step in the search process, the committee seeks the counsel of Stanford faculty, staff and students, and is asking for input on the following questions:

Which tenured member or members of the Stanford faculty do you propose for consideration as the next provost? What reasons do you list for suggesting the consideration of this person(s)? Please give special thought to identifying potential candidates who would bring diversity to Stanford’s leadership, especially women or those who are members of ethnic minority groups.

In addition to Saller, the committee will include faculty members Anthony Antonio, education; Mary Barth, business; Patricia Burchat, physics; Andrea Goldsmith, electrical engineering; Jerry Harris, geophysics; David K. Stevenson, pediatrics; Jenny Martinez, law; Sylvia Yanagisako, anthropology; staff member Frank Brucato, law; postdoctoral scholar Kate Humphreys, psychology; graduate student Alicja Cygan, microbiology and immunology; and undergraduate student Reynis Vazquez-Guzman, computer science.

The committee is being staffed by Kristi Geerke and Debby Angus of the Humanities and Sciences Dean’s Office.

The campus community is asked to send written responses before May 30, 2016, via email to provostsearch@stanford.edu. If you prefer, you may fax your nomination to (650) 723-3235 or send mail to Building 1, Main Quad, Mail Code 2070. All communications will be kept strictly confidential.