Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear’s Communications Director Kerri Richardson says the Governor won’t pursue the Presidency at Murray State University. Beshear has been rumored as a potential candidate during the past few months.
MSU is in the process of hiring a search firm to compile and filter candidates for the job. MSU hopes to hire a new president in spring 2014. Governor Beshear is in his second term which ends in 2015. The job would’ve offered Beshear a chance to boost his state retirement benefits. The presidential job pays nearly double the Governor’s salary.
There is a precedent for a Governor to assume a university presidential role in the Commonwealth. Former Governor Paul Patton serves as the president of the University of Pikeville. But, U-Pike is not a state supported institution.
Politically, the move could have allowed for Lt. Governor Jerry Abramson to assume Beshear's post and potentially begin a campaign as a sitting Governor in 2015.
