SIUC Chancellor Donald Beggs says his plans remain unchanged after he was not chosen by Western Michigan University as its new president.

It doesn’t change anything, Beggs said. I have already submitted all of my papers to retire from here June 30. It is just one less option I have.

Elson Floyd, chief administrative and operating officer at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, was chosen as Western Michigan’s top administrator. He will take office August 1.

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The position opened when current president Diether Haenicke announced last June he would retire July 31 to rejoin the faculty. He has served 13 years as Western Michigan’s president.

Beggs said he has other options open to him, but would not disclose them at the time. He said he will continue to concentrate on his chancellor duties and assist in the transition to a new chancellor. Jo Ann Argersinger becomes SIUC chancellor July 1.

Beggs said he has no hard feelings for Western Michigan but said the president selection is the right thing for them to do.

Ruth Stevens, a spokeswoman for Western Michigan, said the selection process was not unusual.

It was pretty straightforward, she said. It was a unanimous vote by our board of trustees. Each of them ranked their top two choices for Western Michigan and Dr. Floyd got six No. 1 votes.

An undisclosed candidate got two of the remaining top votes.