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Plans for presidential 'changing of the guard' are underway

Last month, our board of trustees approved a unique plan that will ensure a smooth transition in the leadership of Coastal Carolina University. After serving as your president since 2007, I am planning to retire from the position in 2021. My last day as president of this wonderful University will be June 30, 2021. As recommended by the board, a presidential search advisory committee is now being organized, and its composition is expected to be finalized in the coming weeks. In the spring of 2019, the committee will begin the process of selecting CCU’s next chief executive. After a thorough search, a candidate will likely be chosen in the spring of 2020. The incoming president will work in tandem with me for approximately one year prior to my retirement in order for him or her to become oriented to the culture of CCU and the complexities inherent in the position of president of this dynamic University. Furthermore, the incoming president will use this transition time to hire those in senior leadership roles who leave their positions when I do. This will allow for the new leadership team to be fully functioning on July 1, 2021.

The committee will consist of seven trustees, a faculty member, a staff member, an academic dean, an athletic administrator, and one representative each from the Faculty Senate, Staff Senate, Executive Council, Student Government Association, Coastal Alumni Association, Chanticleer Athletic Foundation, Coastal Educational Foundation, and the Horry County Higher Education Commission. The trustees have already been chosen and have agreed to serve — Bill Biggs, Natasha Hanna, Wyatt Henderson, Carlos Johnson, Gene Spivey, Oran Smith and Delan Stevens. Carlos Johnson has agreed to chair the committee. The remaining positions will be filled soon.

This broad representation of campus constituencies will guarantee that the search process is thorough and comprehensive, taking into consideration a wide range of leadership criteria. I am confident that this group will work as a team in a conscientious, diligent manner to identify the right candidate for Coastal Carolina — one who feels the teal, who understands our student-centered traditions and mission, and who has a personal vision for the future success of the institution. A detailed schedule will be provided as we draw closer to the on-site interviews with the finalists.

I look forward to the fruition of this plan and to working with the incoming president. It has been the highest honor of my life to serve with you as president of Coastal Carolina University, and I am proud beyond words at what we have achieved together. CCU is a special place with a character all its own and a momentum that is irrepressible. Our success is largely due to you, and with your continued effort, your ideas, your talent and your heart, the next chapter of our story will be even better than the last.

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