Hours after Texas Tech University President Duane Nellis announced he would be stepping down from his role, the Chancellor of the Texas Tech System spoke about what happens now.
The Texas Tech Board of Regents still needs to meet and name an interim president, as well as figure out the selection process for the next president of the university.
“I hope that we can move fairly quickly in the process,” Chancellor Duncan said. “I think we really have good momentum in this university, we have outstanding deans, and faculty, the morale here is very high and the work ethic of our faculty and deans is very excellent, and so we don’t want to lose any momentum, so I hope that we move forward with as much speed as we can.”
“I anticipate that we’re an attractive university for any candidate that would like to be president here,” Chancellor Duncan said Friday evening.
While the chancellor didn’t want to speculate who could be placed in either the interim role or named as the next president, he did speak about what he thinks is part of the role of the interim president.
“I think the role of the interim president is to maintain the status quo, so you need someone who is familiar with what’s going on here, you need someone with the general lay of the land policy wise, in the state of Texas as well,” Chancellor Duncan said.
President Nellis has been in this role for about two and a half years, being named the president in March 2013, and then officially beginning the job in June 2013. He is the 16th president for the university.
