Next president to be introduced, meet campus groups next week
Then next president of the university will be introduced on Jan. 14, though it is unknown when the will takeover for outgoing President James L. Gaudino
January 8, 2021
CWU will name President James L. Gaudino’s successor next week, though the identity of the next president is still publicly unknown.
The Board of Trustees (BOT) will convene for an executive session at 10 a.m. on Thursday, Jan. 14 before officially ratifying the contract of the 15th president in the university’s history. BOT members Ron Erickson and Erin Black, Faculty Senate chair Elvin Delgado and student trustee Nate McMillion will introduce the next president, who will then deliver brief remarks.
According to a press release, the next president will have introductory meetings with students, employees and community members following their introduction on Jan. 14 as well as for a portion of Jan. 15.
Next Thursday’s introduction will conclude a presidential search process that was largely scarce of details on the candidates. In late October 2020, the Trustees Search Advisory Committee (TSAC) released some information on the five finalists for the position, though their identities have not been disclosed.
Among the finalists were three women and two people of color, according to the TSAC. The five finalists have all earned tenure at a university, three currently work as provosts, one is currently a university president and one is a CEO.
In early November, the BOT began negotiations with “Candidate A,” whom a press release referred to as the “top choice” to succeed Gaudino. In mid-December, the BOT unanimously voted to offer the position to “Candidate A” and to further negotiate a contract.
At the December BOT meeting where the decision was made, Ron Erickson, chair of the BOT, said the board was excited and pleased to have moved through this process.
“In a way, if we make good progress, this could be a wonderful Christmas gift to the university and the community,” Erickson said.
Gaudino announced early last year that he planned to step down in July 2021, though it is unknown when the next president will officially take office.
The announcement of the new president, as well as the introductory sessions with various campus groups, will be streamed online at https://media.cwu.edu.