Southeastern President Named Chancellor

Search Process for Replacement to Begin

Press Release Date: 12-05-2006

The Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education announced Tuesday the selection of Dr. Glen D. Johnson as chancellor of the Oklahoma State System of Higher Education. Johnson will take office as Oklahoma’s eighth chancellor early in 2007, succeeding Phil Moss, who has been serving as interim chancellor since June 29, 2006.

Dr. Johnson currently serves as president of Southeastern Oklahoma State University, where he has served in that capacity since 1997.

With that announcement, the process is set to begin to name a replacement at Southeastern, according to Sheridan McCaffree, executive director of the Regional University System of Oklahoma (RUSO), the entity that will make the selection of a new president. The nine-member RUSO board governs the following regional institutions: Southeastern Oklahoma State University, East Central University, Northeastern State University, Northwestern Oklahoma State University, Southwestern Oklahoma State University, and the University of Central Oklahoma.

According to McCaffree, the replacement process is two-fold, with the first being the naming of an Interim President, and then following the search process, the employment of the “permanent” President. No timelines have been established, but the selection of an interim president could be announced by RUSO in the near future.

As part of the search for a “permanent” replacement, a search committee, composed of regents, faculty, staff, administrators, students, and community members will be formed. The process will include input from community members, alumni, and other interested stakeholders. This committee will be charged with developing a “statement of leadership criteria”—the profile of characteristics and attributes desired in a President. After this statement is developed, the position will be advertised and applications will be accepted. The search committee will then review the applications and make a recommendation to the RUSO regents who will make the final decision.