New Tennessee State University board resets stage for presidential search
The newly-appointed board of trustees overseeing Tennessee State University has yet to resume the presidential search process that abruptly halted after the previous board was ousted by Republican state lawmakers in March.
However, the board appointed a committee to set a path forward in the process on Wednesday evening.
The ouster was met with confusion and pushback from leaders of the historically Black Nashville university who had campaigned for the state to restore $2.1 billion in underfunding revealed last year. The former board had narrowed its search to three finalists just days before their removal, which abruptly halted the process with no promise of when it would resume.
Board Chair Dakasha Winton confirmed the process has been on pause since the ouster during a virtual meeting of the trustees on Wednesday. The board approved the appointment of an ad hoc committee that will put together recommendations for next steps in the process at the board's next regularly scheduled meeting on June 7.
Trustee Marquita Qualls will chair the ad hoc committee, which also includes Winton and trustee Terica Smith.
Previously: TSU was about to name new president before Tennessee lawmakers ousted board. What now?
In March, the previous board named three finalists in its presidential search: Charles Gibbs, the now-former CEO of the national 100 Black Men of America, William E. Hudson, the vice president of student affairs at Florida A&M University, and Michael Torrence, the president of Motlow State Community College in Tennessee.
It's not clear if they will remain finalists. Winton said there has been no outreach to the finalists or the firm hired to help with the search as the transition has unfolded.
Outgoing TSU President Glenda Glover is set to retire as the current academic year winds down. She has led the university since 2013.
In its first meeting on April 26, the new board made no mention of the presidential search, but instead focused on bureaucratic matters like electing a chair. While the board's next regularly scheduled meeting was set for June 7, Wednesday's meeting was announced earlier the same day.
Along with the presidential search update, the board also tackled a few other items of business in its 90-minute meeting Wednesday. University officials talked the trustees through a timeline for its budget process and the university's master plan. The board also tweaked a procedure for appointing and naming committees.
Todd Price contributed to this story.
Reach reporter Rachel Wegner at RAwegner@tennessean.com or follow her @RachelAnnWegner on Twitter, Threads and Bluesky.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Tennessee State University: Board reengages search for new president
