Stanislaus State president search to start with community forum

The search is on for a leader to succeed retiring California State University, Stanislaus, President Joseph Sheley, with an initial meeting of the selection committee open for community input.

The CSU board of trustees will choose the next president. The first meeting of the Trustees’ Committee for the Selection of the President will be held in an open forum from 1 to 3 p.m. Wednesday in Snider Hall on the Turlock campus.

Members of the campus community and community at large are invited to the forum to hear about the process and give comments. Topics covered will include the role of the committee, preferred attributes of the next president and needs of the campus.

Sheley will step down July 1 after four years as president. City leaders have credited Sheley for strengthening town ties, particularly with the city center where the university opened its Art Space on Main. His collaborative style also has been hailed by university faculty.

“Joe Sheley deserves credit for bringing an academic perspective to the presidency, for reaching out to the community and for restoring trust at Stan State,” Dr. Mark Thompson, chair of the Academic Senate, said in November when Sheley announced his plans.

The search for his successor will go on against the backdrop of a statewide pay dispute that threatens to disrupt classes with faculty walkouts in April.

Trustee Hugo N. Morales will lead the Trustees Committee. Other members are Silas H. Abrego, Steven G. Stepanek, student trustee Maggie White, board chair Lou Monville and CSU Chancellor Timothy P. White.

Board policy calls for the chair to appoint an Advisory Committee to the Trustees Committee composed of a Stanislaus State vice president or academic dean, the president of another CSU campus and representatives of campus stakeholder groups. The groups choosing representatives will be faculty, staff, students, alumni, the campus community and the campus advisory board. The Trustees Committee for the Selection of the President and the Advisory Committee function as a unified committee.

This story was originally published February 13, 2016 at 5:58 PM with the headline "Stanislaus State president search to start with community forum."