The Illinois State University Board of Trustees on Friday announced plans to name Aondover Tarhule as its next president at a special meeting March 18.
According to a statement from the university, the board reached a consensus to pursue Tarhule as its next permanent president after a search committee led on-campus interviews with four finalists that emerged from a nationwide search. A fifth candidate withdrew for personal reasons, according to the statement.
Tarhule was named interim president on Feb. 17, 2023, following Terri Goss Kinzy’s resignation.
The Board of Trustees plans to approve a new employment agreement with Tarhule at the meeting. The university did not provide additional details and said it would not comment further until the meeting.
Tarhule came to ISU in 2020 as provost and vice president of academic affairs. His interim role as president was set to expire June 30. During ISU’s search for a new president, Tarhule was named a finalist for a top administrator position at a university in Indiana.
ISU hosted open forums in February with each of the candidates, including University of Nevada dean Donald Easton-Brooks, Miami University (Ohio) provost Elizabeth Reitz Mullenix and University of Cincinnati provost Valerio Ferme.
During his public forum, Tarhule stressed the experienced he has gained during the year in which he served in the interim role.
“I feel the training period is over,” Tarhule said during the Feb. 19 forum. “I’ve learned a lot of things during this time and I feel ready to go — if you’ll give me the opportunity.”
The Board of Trustees said the search committee weighed feedback from faculty, staff, students, alumni, donors and “many interested constituents" before arriving at its decision to offer the permanent job to Tarhule.
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