SIU’s Board of Trustees brought foundations of a plan to find a new university system president to its Thursday meeting.

Chairman Randal Thomas said he and fellow trustees Donna Manering and Don Lowery have met on several occasions to discuss the search. The executive committee recommended during the meeting that the board hire a search firm and create a search firm advisory committee, which will be composed of campus-wide constituency groups. Students, faculty, union representatives and alumni will all be included on committee, he said.

“We have established a timeline, which will direct this seven-to-eight month search,” Thomas said.

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A budget for the search is not yet established, he said. However, SIU has been in contact with universities across the state as well as the University of Missouri, which is now undergoing a chancellor search, to determine the best course of action for the search.

“Some of these firms, for instance the firm that the University of Missouri has just been successfully using, is not on the Illinois Preferred list,” Thomas said. “In order to go to another firm that’s not already on this list, it would take another six months or so to go through a bid process, and we don’t have that time in seeking to replace the president.”

President Glenn Poshard, who is retiring June 30 after what will be eight years of service to the university, said his role in the search is purely advisory.

“My only role is to advise or consult with the chairman when he needs that,” he said.

Karsten Burgstahler can be reached at [email protected] or 536-3311 ext. 261.