University of Wyoming President Bob Sternberg has resigned, after less than five months in office.
He said in a statement that “as wonderful as the University of Wyoming is, it may not be the best fit for me as president.”
Sternberg had come under fire from members of the campus community after several deans and other top officials were replaced.
Vice President of Academic Affairs Dick McGinity will serve as interim president. President of the Board of Trustees Dave Bostrom says he’ll be good.
“Our board has complete confidence in Dr. McGinity and his team to carry on the administrative functions of the university and move the institution forward while we consider how to proceed with a presidential search,” Bostrom said.
The Board of Trustees kept the last presidential search confidential until late in the hiring process, which drew criticism from the UW community and beyond. But during a press conference, Bostrom defended the process.
“We performed a search and did absolutely the best that we felt we could do,” he said. “I don’t want to look at what has been done. I want to look at the future and where we’re going now.”
Bostrom said no decisions have been made about whether they will change the search process this time around.
In the meantime, McGinity says the personnel changes that Sternberg made will stay.
“The people that are in place now are a terrific team, and I think we can do an awful lot together,” he said.
McGinity says one of his top goals is restoring a sense of calm and stability at the university.
