Lucas: WLU Presidential Candidates Will Face Same Scrutiny as Evans
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WEST LIBERTY - The search for the next president of West Liberty University soon will begin, and Rich Lucas, chair of the school's Board of Governors, said the board's next candidates will be subject to the same scrutiny that outgoing president W. Franklin Evans was.
The WLU BOG earlier this month declined to renew Evans' contract to remain the university's president, meaning Evans will step down from that role by the year's end. The board voted 8-4 against renewing Evans' contract for one year, with Lucas joining Jack Adams, Sydney Burkle, Richard Carter, Thomas Cervone, David McKinley and Jason Metz in voting against retaining Evans.
At the Aug. 17 meeting, Lucas said the search for new candidates for the position would begin shortly, and was expected to take between four and six months. Lucas said Friday the search had yet to begin. However, the selection process would not be markedly different from previous efforts, and that all candidates would be held to the same standards that saw Evans selected two years ago.
"I 100% do not," Lucas said when asked if Evans' successor may face tougher scrutiny. "I don't know how you add any more scrutiny to this process. ... The process is as diligent and thorough as it can be. We will elect whether to use a consulting firm or not during the search process; we are, at our will, able to enlist outside consultants or expert consulting firms who do presidential university searches."
Lucas, who said he's been a part of at least three presidential searches, said the process involves soliciting the position in chronicles of higher education on a national level, narrowing the list of candidates down to single digits, and conducting interviews, in-person visits and outreach sessions with the selection committee - Evans' committee consisted of 20 people - until a satisfactory candidate is selected. In the end, the Board of Governors makes the final decision. Evans was selected in a unanimous 11-0 vote.
"I don't believe there will be any extra scrutiny - I believe it was the proper process during Dr. Evans (search), the board voted to hire Dr. Evans 11-0, and scrutiny will be tremendous, as it was last time."
The previous selection process, which began in December 2019 after President Stephen Greiner announced his intention to retire June 30, 2020, was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. When the search began anew after the summer, one of the two finalists for the role withdrew for "personal reasons." Rather than select the sole remaining candidate as president, the search restarted in August 2020, and led to the BOG choosing Evans.
Lucas said that, for his part, he did not foresee similar complications with this selection process.
"I don't really believe the pool will be smaller, I don't believe the pool will be limited. Those in that employment area, folks who meet the qualifications, are interested in West Liberty University - I do not believe the pool will be limited at all."
Lucas said the search will begin "soon," though he stressed that the timeline for selecting the new president is "fluid," and that the board is not held to a strict deadline. In the event that a president is not selected by the new year, an interim will be appointed by the board.
Coming off the heels of Evans' term as president, which was marred by several instances of plagiarism in speeches and presentations Evans had given - which he later accepted responsibility and apologized for - Lucas said he doesn't feel the Board of Governors faces added pressure to select the next president.
"I would say no, I don't feel there's added pressure. I think there's always pressure," he said. "The entire Board of Governors always wants to do the ultimate best decision-making for the university. For certain, I'd say there's no added pressure.
"We always want to hit a home run, we always want the absolute best, and the process will lead us to that answer."