The Presidential Selection Council, which was formed to oversee the search process for the next university president, faces what many trustees consider to be a critical decision for the university.
Trustee Keith Eckel said the Trustee Presidential Selection Council is set to hold its first meeting this Friday afternoon to begin discussion.
The council will serve to find a replacement for University President Rodney Erickson, who announced he will retire on June 30, 2014, or sooner, if the search for the new president is complete before then.
At the last Board of Trustees meeting held on Nov. 16, Chairwoman Karen Peetz announced the members of the Trustee Presidential Selection Council consisting of 12 trustees and Peter Tombros, the Chair of For the Future: The Campaign for Penn State Students.
“This is a very important decision we will be making over the next year or so that is crucial to the university,” Eckel said.
Student Trustee Peter Khoury said he is honored to be able to sit on the council and be able to represent the students.
“I think it is a tremendous opportunity to have a student voice at the table,” Khoury said. “I am looking forward to the opportunity to participate in the process.”
Although the members of the Trustee Presidential Selection Council were announced, members of the University Presidential Search and Screen Committee are to be released by early January, according to a press release.
In the press release, Peetz said the Presidential Selection Council will rely heavily on various aspects of the Penn State community.
“The selection of our next president is one of the most important decisions we, as a university, will make,” Peetz said. “Consequently, the Presidential Selection Council will rely heavily on all parts of our community and constituent representatives, including faculty, academic and administrative leadership, staff, students and alumni as members of the University Presidential Search and Screen Committee.”
