Loyola’s search for a new president has begun.

The Rev. Kevin Wildes, S.J., is set to retire in June after serving 14 years as president, and the university has begun the process of finding his replacement.

David Borofsky assumed the position of interim provost and vice president for Academic Affairs at Loyola last spring. Along with developing new academic programs through Project Magis, Borofsky is also in charge of the search for Loyola’s next president.

Along with a presidential search committee, Borofsky works alongside search firm Isaacson Miller, a group that has been doing this work for Jesuit institutions for over 40 years.

The board-appointed search committee is made up of a student, three faculty members, a staff person, eight board members and an alumnus.

The group plans to release a presidential profile and begin advertising the position within the next few weeks.

Borofsky expects to sort through about 100 applicants from which eight candidates will be interviewed by the first of the year and a final three will be interviewed in late February or early March. A final decision should be made by the end of this school year, Borofsky said.

This year’s process is open to all qualified candidates. For the first time in the university’s history, being a Jesuit priest is not one of those qualifications.

“It could be a Jesuit priest and it could be a woman…essentially it should be a person of faith who can do the apostolate work that needs to be done,” Borofsky said.

Student government president Benjamin Weil is the student voice on the presidential search committee.

Over the past month he said he has met with students to get a feel for what the student body is looking for in Loyola’s next president. Weil believes his role is to be transparent with the students.

“The most important thing I can do is continue to relay their perspective to the search committee,” he said.

Borofsky stressed the importance of quality questions when it comes time for interviews.

“I want to be as transparent as I can and I would want students to require me to be transparent,” Borofsky said.

After talking with students, Weil says the community is looking for a specific skill set in the new president.

“The students are looking for a president who is present around campus and passionate about the mission ideals of Loyola. In addition, the students are looking for a president who is committed to making Loyola a more inclusive campus,” Weil said.

He said he wants to encourage students to share their ideas and opinions with him about what they want to see. He said, “This is a very exciting time and I’m looking forward to the process of picking the next president.”