The Colorado Mesa University (CMU) Board of Trustees named current Vice President of Student Services John Marshall as the new university President.
The search started after President Tim Foster announced that he would be retiring back in January. Over 64 candidates applied for the position and the final three were announced in the last two weeks. A Presidential Search Committee of faculty, staff and students were in charge of reading the applications and interviewing candidates.
After more interviews and meetings with the candidates, the Board of Trustees came to their decision and announced it at 10:03 a.m. on April 29.
Marshall has been working for CMU since 2008 in multiple positions and as of 2020, he headed the COVID Command team that put restrictions into place for the university to stay open. He has been a professor and head of many initiatives around campus.
The official statement of the trustees reads, “Marshall’s tenure at CMU has been one of expanding opportunities for students who are first in their families to attend college and/or from traditionally underrepresented minority groups. During the last two decades, CMU has increased enrollment while adding a litany of academic programs, which are aligned with the needs of the region. Marshall also identified a long-term commitment to the institution sharing that both his professional career and his personal life are rooted in the campus community.”
Students and faculty at CMU were given the opportunity to ask questions to the candidates on April 26, 27 and 28. After each session, the attendees were asked to fill out a survey of how the candidates did. The faculty and Associated Student Government also released statements on who they recommended. Every part of the campus was given the chance to have a say in the decision of who the next president would be.
“The Board of Trustees arrived at a unanimous decision after considering broad stakeholder input and carefully deliberating. We are pleased to announce the Board of Trustees has entered into negotiations with current CMU Vice President John Marshall to serve as the next President of CMU. The board understands fully the importance of this decision, and are grateful to faculty, students, staff and the community for engaging in this robust national search process. John demonstrated during the interview process, and during the on-campus stakeholder forums, that his vision for CMU is the one that will best guide the university forward to thrive in a changing and complex world,” Ray Anilionis, chair of the Board of Trustees said as his statement in the announcement.
Frequent emails were sent out with updates on the presidential search as the process was occurring. The Presidential Search Committee wanted input from every person on campus and took those concerns into consideration when selecting Marshall as president starting in the Fall 2021 semester.
