The University of Minnesota is gathering input and seeking presidential search committee members on the search for the University’s 17th president.

The Board of Regents is now accepting nominations for members of the Presidential Search Advisory Committee, according to a University-wide announcement from Board of Regent Chair David McMillan and Vice Chair Ken Powell sent Monday afternoon.

The committee will “generate and narrow the field of presidential candidates to a small number of semi-finalists for Board consideration,” the announcement read.

Nominations for seats on the committee are open until 5 p.m. on Aug. 15, before members are chosen in September. 

The announcement also seeks input from a wide range of University members on selecting the new president  – including students, faculty, staff, alumni and broader community members. 

The University announced it hired an outside search firm to aid in the process, Storbeck/Pimentel and Associates, which has been involved in the search for other campus administrators. The firm is focused on serving the higher education and nonprofit sectors, according to its website. 

The board will hold a special meeting to discuss the search process on Thursday, and launched a website to inform and gather information from University community during the search process.