This story has been updated to include a timeline for the hiring of the new president.
Members of the Murray State University Board of Regents convened Friday to select semifinalists in the search for the western Kentucky college’s next president.
The special called meeting of the Presidential Search Committee lasted just over two hours, with much of it spent in closed session. Eleven semifinalists were selected following the closed session, using pre-assigned applicant numbers to protect the privacy of the individuals.
The officials are being aided in the search for the school’s next president by Academic Search, a firm contracted by the school in October. Wanda Bigham, a senior consultant and senior executive coach with the firm, attended Friday’s meeting.
According to the minutes of an October 2024 meeting of the search committee, as many as five finalists could be selected from that pool of eleven. Finalists are expected to make campus visits in March or April.
A spokesperson for MSU said they hope to have the school's 15th president appointed and in place "prior to the beginning of the 2025-26 academic year."
MSU president Bob Jackson announced his retirement in September. The former Democratic state lawmaker has served as Murray’s acting president since 2018 and was permanently appointed in 2019. His retirement becomes effective on June 30.
After he retires, Jackson will remain in an advisory role with Murray State through the end of October and have the title of president emeritus.
