Michigan State University's search for a new president will be kept confidential, closing the process to the public until the board releases the name of the person selected, according to a letter sent to MSU students and staff today.

The "closed" search process means that the public will not be informed on who is interviewing for the position, and there will be no public vetting of candidates.

"We have listened to the MSU community, and we understand and appreciate concerns raised about trust and transparency in the search process," said the letter, which is signed by Dianne Byrum and Melanie Foster, the search committee co-chairs and members of the MSU Board of Trustees.

The letter said the board and the 19-member search committee "have had extensive discussions about whether the search should be open or confidential."

The decision was made to keep the search confidential "to draw the strongest pool of candidates" -- a priority among those who participated in the community input sessions, the letter said

A closed search process also was recommended by Teresa Sullivan, the former president of University of Virginia whom MSU hired as a search consultant, and by Storbeck|Pimentel, the search firm hired by the MSU board.

"Both have advised that the majority of presidential searches at research-intensive universities during the past three years have been confidential, as most highly qualified candidates are not willing to be recruited for an open search," the ltter said.

"Additionally, MSU is competing for highly qualified presidential candidates at the same time as several other universities around the country, most of which are conducting confidential searches," the letter continued.

The decision to conduct a confidential search is "frustrating" to many in the MSU community, said Natalie Rogers, a spokeswoman for Reclaim MSU, a coalition of students, faculty, staff and alumni pushing for institutional reforms in the wake of the Larry Nassar controversy.

It was the Nassar scandal that forced out MSU President Lou Anna Simon amid calls for greater transparency and openness by MSU administration and board.

While it's "not surprising" that the search will be kept confidential, Rogers said, "it's another blow."

"After everything this university has gone through, having a closed process means that you're cutting off engagement from the beginning, and that could yield the opposite of what we want in a new president," Rogers said.

The 19-member search committee -- which includes faculty, staff and students -- will review candidates and participate in the interviewing and vetting of finalists.

That committee has begun to accept confidential nominations for the president's post, the letter said.

"The search committee members represent the stakeholders of the MSU community and have diverse backgrounds and experiences that embody the highest ethical standards. Their opinions are valued and respected, and they will be important partners in the interviewing and vetting of candidates," the letter said.

The committee will make a recommendation to the MSU Board of Trustees, which is expected to make a final decision in June 2019.

MSU has created a web page -- msu.edu/presidentialsearch -- to keep the public updated about the search process. The website includes notes from the 22 community input sessions. Also on the website are the position advertisement and the presidential prospectus.