With a little more than a year remaining on University President Robert Easter’s contract, the Board of Trustees is kicking off the search to find his replacement.

At a special meeting Friday, the board appointed the 19-member search committee to find the next president, who will take office on July 1, 2015. The committee will be co-chaired by Trustee Pam Strobel and Urbana physics professor Douglas Beck and will include trustees, faculty, staff, students and alumni. The committee will hold its first meeting in May to decide further details.

The Board of Trustees hopes to name a new president in January and will choose from a list of 8 to 10 finalists selected by the committee, along with help from an outside firm.

Easter was chosen as president after former president Michael Hogan resigned in March 2012 amid concerns about his ability to lead the campus. Strobel chaired the committee that recommended the hiring of Hogan in 2010. Beck chaired the committee that led to the hiring of Chancellor Phyllis Wise in 2011.

When the committee was announced, Trustee Ed McMillan complained that no Republican trustees were on the search committee. Board chairman Christopher Kennedy said he did not consider political affiliation when choosing the committee, but he will be more careful to do so in the future. The trustees on the committee are Strobel, Ricardo Estrada and James Montgomery.

Johnathan can be reached at [email protected] and @jhett93.