MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Members of West Virginia University’s Board of Governors could choose an interim university president, a temporary replacement for outgoing WVU President Jim Clements, as early as Tuesday.
“We are (working) on a short list and, if we end up making a selection, we’ll have to contact that successful candidate,” said James Dailey II, BOG chairman, on Monday.
Dailey said a range of interim candidates have been considered, though he would not provide any specific names of those still on the “short list.”
“There was no great consensus as to a demand that one had to be internal or external,” he said of the characteristics of the possible candidates. “We just felt that, whoever that candidate may be, they had to have the same desire to keep moving forward and keep that ball rolling down the same road that Jim Clements put us on.”
Tuesday’s special meeting focused on the future leadership of the University was scheduled to start at 10 a.m. at Stewart Hall in Morgantown. It will be the third meeting for the BOG since Clements announced his plans to leave WVU for Clemson University in the New Year last month.
An interim president could serve for much of the next year while a permanent replacement for Clements is selected. BOG members have said the goal is to hire a new WVU president by Fall 2014 and the interim president will not be in the running for that position.
In addition to discussing an interim president, Dailey said BOG members could finalize the procedural details for the selection of a permanent WVU president on Tuesday as well.
“Hopefully, we’ll conclude that and be able to present that to the Higher Education Policy Commission at their next meeting so that whole procedure could be approved,” said Dailey who was a guest on Monday’s MetroNews “Talkline.”