ODU president search won't begin until next year

NORFOLK

The search for the next president of Old Dominion University possibly won’t begin before February or March, the rector of the Board of Visitors said Tuesday.

During the board’s executive committee meeting, Rector Ross Mugler suggested that the university conduct an institutional assessment that would gather input about ODU’s strengths and weaknesses from local and state leaders and others and use that feedback to guide its search. He said similar reviews were conducted before selecting former Presidents James V. Koch and Roseann Runte.

Ross said after the meeting that the process would begin from scratch with the hiring of a new search firm – possibly in February or March – and the formation of a new search committee.

The board suspended the first search in August after failing to reach an agreement on whether to hire one of two finalists. The panel began looking for a replacement in January shortly after Runte announced that she’d accepted a similar position in Ottawa .

Mugler said the board could take its time because they have a solid leader in acting President John Broderick.

Mugler said he sees it as a mixed blessing that the board didn’t select a president earlier. With the state of the economy and the university undergoing major budget cuts, “it’s not a good time to bring on a new president,” he said.

Denise Watson Batts, (757) 446-2504, denise.batts@pilotonline.com