Starting Sept. 13, the search for a new Northern Kentucky University president will officially begin — but first, the committee to find the right candidate must be decided upon.

The Presidential Search and Screening Committee will consist of 14-15 people, according to Board of Regents Chair Terry Mann. Among that group will be 2-3 people each from faculty, non-teaching staff, the community, the NKU Foundation and alumni. There will also be four Board of Regents members and one NKU student representative.

The Student Government Association executive board has been commissioned to find and submit the top three student applicants from NKU to the Board of Regents, which will ultimately select the representative by Sept. 9. Terry Mann is also hoping to announce the entire committee on that date.

Including a student in the Search and Screening Committee is important because students are the most important part of NKU. “The university doesn’t exist without them,” Mann said.

Interested students were asked to submit a letter describing why he or she wanted to be on the committee and time availability and comfort to such a time-consuming position. It is important to SGA that the candidates be able to balance the position with academic requirements, according to Robinson.

In addition to the letter of intent, potential candidates submitted a résumé which listed their class standing and their extracurricular and professional involvement. According to Robinson, one of the most important things the executive board is looking for is the ability to “manage outside involvement with successful academic progress.”

Mann said the board will take a look at the GPA and academic standing of the applicant because the selected student needs to be strong enough academically to withstand the time commitment of the committee.

The student chosen to be on the committee is required to attend all committee meetings and any other related events. The student rep will have an equal voice in the discussion and decision-making process, according to Robinson.

The deadline to apply to be the student representative was Sept. 1. After the executive board has submitted the top three applicants to the Board of Regents, it will decide on the best candidate and Mann will appoint one student to the committee.

The full rights and responsibilities of the other committee members apply to the student representative, as well as a duty to represent the NKU student body by being active in the discussion about potential presidential candidates.

The target date for the announcement of a new president is March 2012. Until then, the Search and Screening Committee will hold open meetings on- and off-campus where the public (students included) can voice their opinions on what characteristics they would like to see in the next university president.