Even by the standards of higher education, presidential search committees are odd concoctions, combining the dynamics of the governing board, the faculty, the administration and staff, and the students in an environment that is, at best, unusual and, at worst, adversarial. Ultimately, however, that committee's work is vital to the future of the institution. In the healthiest institutions, these groups seldom interact with one another in the sort of deliberative environment, and with the level of intimacy, demanded by the roles and responsibilities of a search committee. In this article, the author discusses how disparate members of the presidential search committee can come together to form a cohesive entity in choosing its leader. [This article was produced by Chronicle of Higher Education, Washington, DC.]