With President Dr. Chris Howard’s tenure as the eighth president of Robert Morris University coming to an end next week, chair of the board of trustees Carrie Coghill sent an email to students on Friday to discuss the school’s plans to find the ninth president of the university.

Coghill explained how the search process would go.

“I am pleased to report that the process to choose a successor to President Chris Howard is already underway. The Presidential Search Committee… has engaged search firm Witt/Kieffer to oversee the recruitment, evaluation, and selection of presidential candidates. Witt/Kieffer has successfully partnered with RMU on several previous executive-level searches, and we are grateful for their expertise,” Coghill said.

The university will be looking to replace Howard after the school announced earlier this month about his new position at Arizona State University.

“In addition, we have appointed the University Advisory Group (UAG) – which includes students, staff, faculty, and alumni – to assist the Presidential Search Committee and Witt/Kieffer in developing the presidential position profile. The UAG will gather the perspectives of campus and alumni communities on key topics, including points of pride in RMU; challenges and opportunities that RMU faces; aspirations for the university; and experiences and qualities that RMU’s next leader should possess.”

Coghill hopes to have a quick search to find the new president for University with the committee.