dbeard@dominionpost.com
MORGANTOWN – The WVU Board of Governors met in closed session on Friday to review a slate of candidates to interview for WVU’s next president – its 27th.
BOG vice-chair and Presidential Search Committee chair Patrice Harris announced the meeting in a letter to the campus community Friday evening.
“The finalists come from across the country and have extensive leadership experience,” she said. “We are well on our way to finding our next president who can lead with the right balance of strength and humility to manifest a positive, compelling vision for our university’s and our state’s future.”
As previously reported, WVU is keeping the names of the finalist candidates confidential. The presidential search website says, “As part of our desire to attract and recruit top, highly qualified candidates, WVU will not disclose the names and/or backgrounds of any candidate to those outside of the BOG, the Search Committee or those authorized by the BOG.
“As confirmed by ongoing discussions with our external search partner, WittKieffer, candidates of today’s market want and often expect confidentiality. As we hope our community understands, publicly naming finalists can deter top candidates who prefer to keep their job search discreet to maintain their current leadership roles, especially those currently in high-level positions at other institutions.”
As part of the search process, the Search Committee reviewed applications, conducted preliminary interviews and was charged to recommend a slate of three to five finalists to the board. WVU said on Monday that it could not disclose how many candidates were reviewed for interviews.
The interviews will be conducted in-person, but WVU also could not answer questions about the possibility of candidates’ visits to campus.
Harris said in her letter, “The search process remains on schedule. The Board of Governors plans to announce the next university president this spring. We look forward to welcoming that person to join our Mountaineer family soon.”
Current WVU President Gordon Gee is retiring when his current contract expires on June 30.
