The California State University Board of Trustees has started to narrow down potential candidates to permanently take over the role of San Diego State’s president.
Since two open forums in September and October at SDSU’s San Diego and Calexico campuses, the trustees’ committee continued to meet privately in closed sessions to consider presidential applicants.
SDSU Associated Students President Chimezie Ebiriekwe, who serves as the board’s student representative, said the closed sessions are to give the applicants anonymity.
“We’ve received dozens if not hundreds of applications,” Board of Trustees Vice Chair Adam Day said. “Our committee is currently reviewing all of them. The next step is to make recommendations to the entire Board of Trustees at the end of the month.”
Day said if the committee remains on schedule, they will have an announcement by Jan. 31. He did not specify what would be included in the announcement, but CSU Chancellor Timothy White said the board hopes to bring finalists in for interviews with the entire Board of Trustees at the end of January.
“The search is progressing nicely and in confidence,” White said. “Top candidates will be interviewed soon by the combined committee.”
Although the meetings remain private, White said that input on the search has been open from all persons via email or through their elected representatives on the trustees committee.
Sally Roush, the university’s current president, stepped into the role in July 2017 after former SDSU president Elliot Hirshman announced his resignation the previous semester.
Roush’s replacement is set to be in place by summer 2018.
The new president will assume stewardship over a number of major issues SDSU is currently facing, including the drive to use the SDCCU Stadium site as a potential west campus, the continued debate over the appropriateness of the Aztec mascot and ever-increasing numbers of applications.
