On March 17, MTSU President Sidney A. McPhee announced to the Board of Trustees that he will step down in December after 25 years as the university’s 10th president and will become a tenured professor in the College of Education after a two-semester sabbatical.
SGA president RJ Ware got the news of McPhee’s decision at the University President’s cabinet meeting. While the news wasn’t surprising to him since he was aware of McPhee’s contract expiring this year, Ware admits that the announcement still felt significant.
“We obviously knew that his contract was coming to an end at the end of this year,” Ware said. “However, it is still a shock to the system because rarely anyone at the university can remember this institution without him at the helm.”
With McPhee stepping down, the question remains: Who will be the next president of MTSU?
The search for the next president started last week at the meeting where McPhee announced his retirement, according to James Floyd, the University Counsel for MTSU.
Floyd said the Executive & Governance committee authorized the University to start exploring search firms, or agencies that recruit senior and executive positions, to begin the search for candidates.
As for student input in the hiring process, Ware said that he’s working with the Board of Trustees to ensure that students are involved in selecting the new president.
“I will have many conversations with the Student Trustee, Michai Mosby, and my SGA partners to determine the best approach,” Ware said.
Despite the process still being in its early stages, some students have cautious optimism about the next president.
Anna Nix, a sophomore majoring in music business, hopes that the next president will try their best to unify the campus by hosting more events.
“I think more events that can bring students together because I feel like we don’t have the best turnout at school-wide events, like sporting events or other events where anybody can come,” Nix said.
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