SIU's President is retiring sooner than expected. Glenn Poshard will step aside at the end of this month.
Incoming President Randy Dunn will take the helm May first, roughly two months after he was selected as Poshard’s successor. Poshard says he’s already begun meeting with Dunn for the transition, and is ready to help SIU move into its next chapter.
“I love this university," Poshard said. I’ve spent a good deal of my life here. I have to think in terms of what’s best for this university. Is it better that I hang on as President for another two months at the end of my career, or that we give Dr. Dunn the opportunity to start his career here early? There’s no question about where that balance falls.”
Poshard says he’ll stay on as a consultant to help with Dunn’s transition – and expects to be busy during that time.
“I’ll be helping him in that respect, as well as whatever he needs me for," Poshard said. "But I have a lot of work of my own to do, with respect to the goals and everything that the Board assigned me last year.”
Speculation about Dunn’s official start date has swirled since he was announced as President back in February. But SIU Board Chairman Randal Thomas says the transition should come as no surprise:
“We stated that if the next President of the university becomes available early, we would then work with President Poshard and that new president for establishment of date. That’s the Board process that determined that May the first is the effective date.”
Poshard’s retirement was announced last summer. Randy Dunn left Youngstown State University to take this job, and has previously served as President of Murray State University and as the Illinois State Superintendent of Education. He also spent time as a Professor and Chair in SIU Carbondale’s College of Education and Human Services.