Monteroso Voted WLU Interim President
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Cathy Monteroso made history Wednesday evening, but her focus is on the future of West Liberty University.
The WLU Board of Governors, in a unanimous 11-0 vote, chose Monteroso to be the university's interim president starting Jan. 1. She will step in for current President W. Franklin Evans, whose contract was not renewed in an August vote and will end his two-year tenure on Dec. 31.
Pending approval from the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission, Monteroso will be the first woman to lead the university in its history. Her appointment will continue through June 30.
"I'm very humbled that they asked me to do so," Monteroso said following the meeting.
"I believe in this institution and I believe we have a lot of really positive things going on and I'm just thrilled to be able to help lead those initiatives we have."
Monteroso has been with the university for 14 years, first as a faculty member, then as dean of the College of Education and Human Performance.
She has been interim provost and vice president of academic affairs since January 2022.
She earned her doctoral degree at Northcentral University, her master's degree at Azusa Pacific University and her undergraduate degree at East Tennessee State University.
BOG Chair Rich Lucas ticked off a list of attributes that he said made Monteroso the right choice as interim president.
"Experience, qualifications, professionalism, history with our faculty and staff and our Board of Governors," he said. "It's her dedication, first, and her willingness to serve the university in any capacity she's been asked. She always comes out with a great result."
As interim president, Monteroso said she wants to continue promoting the unique programs West Liberty offers, which she believes will help bolster enrollment. She also wants to promote the university's history. She believes West Liberty is West Virginia's best regional university, and she wants as many people as possible to discover that.
As for becoming the first woman to lead WLU, Monteroso said she hadn't had time to think about her appointment like that. She's proud to have broken that barrier, especially in the 50th anniversary of Title IX.
"I think that the opportunity that they're giving me is a phenomenal opportunity," she said. "We do a lot to support women greatly on this campus, and having that we'll be able to continue to support everyone on this campus."
Lucas said breaking that barrier wasn't the reason Monteroso got the call, but he's pleased that she could be the person to make that history. He is confident she can lead the university, which is trying to emerge from a tumultuous period.
In his first year as president, Evans was found to have lifted quotes without attribution from several sources in multiple speeches he made in the community. He would later apologize.
He narrowly held onto his job in a 7-5 BOG vote in October 2021. Then the WLU faculty senate issued a vote of no confidence in a 14-1 vote with one abstention. A survey of faculty in April showed a significant lack of trust among faculty members in his leadership and personal integrity.
Evans later attributed some of that criticism against him to race, wondering if the situation would be different if he wasn't WLU's first Black president. Then the BOG decided not to renew his contract in August.
The WLU presidential search committee recently agreed on the search timeline. AGB Search Firm representatives will hold listening sessions on campus on Jan. 10-11. The formal search will launch the week of Feb. 6 and the application deadline will be the week of March 17.
"Dr. Monteroso now is tasked with a very important and very effortful job," Lucas said. "That's why we chose her. So she is going to step right in Jan. 1. We know she's ready. I think the Board of Governors is extremely confident she will fill the interim seat and carry the professionalism and university banner."