Finalist Named in Presidential Search

Dear Members of the Oberlin College Community:

On behalf of the Board of Trustees and the Presidential Search Committee, I am pleased to announce that Marvin Krislov has been selected as the finalist for the Oberlin presidency.  Mr. Krislov and his family will be visiting the campus next week to meet with members of the Oberlin community.  After several months of evaluating Mr. Krislov’s preparation for the presidency and discussing his potential with individuals who have worked with him and who know him well, the Search Committee is unanimous in its opinion that he is superbly qualified to provide outstanding leadership for Oberlin College.

For the last nine years, Mr. Krislov has served as Vice President and General Counsel of the University of Michigan, and as a member of the President’s Cabinet.  He spearheaded the recent landmark University of Michigan cases where the United States Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of diversity considerations in college and university admissions. 

Mr. Krislov is also an adjunct professor in the University of Michigan Department of Political Science, where he teaches two undergraduate courses each year; its Law School; and its Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy Summer Program.  Currently serving on a variety of academically-oriented boards within the University, Mr. Krislov serves as co-chair of the President’s Initiative on Ethics in Public Life, a major inter-disciplinary initiative to integrate academic study with ethics-related issues in society. 

Prior to his arrival at Michigan, Mr. Krislov served as Acting Solicitor (the third ranking department official) and Deputy Solicitor for National Operations at the U.S. Department of Labor in Washington, D.C.  There, he oversaw a department with 700 employees with a budget of over $70 million.  Prior to that, Mr. Krislov served as Associate Counsel to the President in the White House Counsel’s Office.

Mr. Krislov graduated from Yale University in 1982, and served as a New Haven alderman following his graduation.  He is a Rhodes Scholar and was awarded a master’s degree by Oxford University, Magdalen College in modern history in 1985.  He received his J.D. from Yale University in 1988.

The purpose of this visit is two-fold.  First, it will enable you to meet Mr. Krislov and hear his enthusiasm for our community.  Second, and equally important, the visit should provide an excellent opportunity for our community to showcase our many and distinctive strengths. 

In addition to meetings with individual Oberlin constituencies, we will schedule a reception for faculty, staff, and their families and children, hosted by Nancy Dye and her husband, Griff, so that members of the college community can meet Mr. Krislov and his family.  Mr. Krislov will be joined at the reception by his wife, Amy Sheon, a biomedical researcher, and their three children, Zachary, 14; Jesse, 9; and Evie Rose, 6.  Mr. Krislov also will be hosting a series of scheduled meetings for all students.  A detailed schedule of his campus visit will be announced in the next day or so.  Mr. Krislov and Dr. Sheon have been deeply involved in their local communities and look forward to doing so in Oberlin.

The Oberlin Board of Trustees met earlier today, when they reviewed and endorsed Mr. Krislov’s candidacy.  They will meet again shortly after his visit to the campus to consider the formal action necessary to select him as Oberlin’s 14th president.

We are pleased to have reached this point in the presidential search, and we look forward to this final, public phase.  Thank you for your help in providing a warm welcome to Marvin Krislov and his family.

Sincerely,

Robert S. Lemle
Chair, Board of Trustees
Chair, Presidential Search Committee