The Texas Tech University System Board of Regents will meet via telephone conference call at 11 a.m. Central Time to discuss the terms of employment, duties and appointment of its new president, for which University of Idaho President M. Duane Nellis is the sole finalist.
An announcement regarding its final decision will be released today, followed by an official press conference early next week, in which the new president will be in attendance, TTU Managing Director of Communications and Marketing Chris Cook said.
If Nellis is appointed, the Idaho State Board of Education will begin its search for UI’s interim and permanent presidents.
In a March 5 meeting, the SBOE authorized the board’s acting president Don Soltman to appoint a search committee chair or co-chairs.
There has not been an announcement regarding who the chair or co-chairs are, or the search committee members.
“Frankly, the board felt strongly that it should respect the 21-day waiting period that’s imposed by Texas law in order for President Nellis’ appointment at Texas Tech to be official,” said Marilyn Whitney, Idaho SBOE’s Chief Communications and Legislative Affairs Officer.
Whitney said the board uses a standard process to find a president for any Idaho university.
When Nellis was hired, the search committee was comprised of 16 members, including UI faculty and stakeholders from the university community, who retained a search firm.
The board gave its approval to use a search firm this time as well if the committee deems it necessary, Whitney said.
A separate motion during the board’s March 5 meeting called for Soltman to identify a candidate or compile a list of qualified candidates for interim president, and to forward it to the entire board by April 5.
The board plans to move the process along as quickly as possible in an organized and thoughtful way, but presidential search processes typically take anywhere between six and nine months, Whitney said.
“Obviously there’s a lot that goes into identifying potential candidates, reviewing those candidates, and that’s something the search committee does, interviewing candidates — ultimately making the final decision,” Whitney said.
Britt Kiser can be reached at [email protected]