With no consensus from administrators in sight, University President Mark Yudof recommended that Samuel Schuman become interim chancellor at the Morris campus.
The move halts a yearlong search for a permanent appointment.
Schuman, dean and vice president of academic affairs at Morris, accepted the position. The appointment needs approval from the University’s Board of Regents next week.
At Tuesday’s announcement, school officials said they expect Schuman to assume office on July 1 when current Chancellor David Johnson retires.
Schuman left his position as chancellor of the University of North Carolina-Asheville, to serve as vice chancellor under Johnson for three years.
“I think that will help me understand some of the dynamics of a position like this,” Schuman said.
A search committee, which began looking for chancellor candidates last June, recommended three finalists to Yudof in March. Schuman was initially nominated but declined to enter the pool.
But information uncovered in the final stages of the search made school officials leery of the finalists, said Andy Lopez, a computer science professor at Morris and chair of the search committee.
For example, candidate Hubert Maultsby works at Francis Marion University in South Carolina. But the American Association of University Professors blacklisted the school. Academic blacklisting warns other schools to sever any ties with the labeled institution.
Following this and other less-severe revelations about the other two candidates, Yudof scrapped the search. Another attempt at finding a permanent chancellor will begin in spring 1999.
However, Schuman said he doesn’t see himself as just a place holder.
As interim chancellor, Schuman will oversee construction of a new $30 million math and science building and a joint community-campus fitness center. He’ll also guide the Morris campus through its semester conversion in fall 1999, a project he already assisted in preparing.
“Sam is not a bashful guy,” said Craig Swan, vice provost for undergraduate education. “I think he is in a position to lead the University forward.”