The State College Board's preferred candidate for president of Jackson State University is not the preferred choice for members of the JSU alumni association. As MPB's Alexis Ware reports William Bynum is meeting groups on campus today as one of the final steps of the selection process.
Board Trustees are planning to vote on Bynum after campus groups submit feedback. Members of the alumni are critical of the Board's selection. Jean Frazier served on the Interview Search Advisory Committee. She says the committee voted against advancing Bynum.
"Dr. Bynum was interviewed in the first round of interviews and did not advance to the second round of interviews and with discussion with the Board and the search advisory committee, we were assured that he would not advance."
Frazier says the Board did not abide by the selection process.
Commissioner of Higher Education Glenn Boyce says the search committees are appointed to offer suggestions and not to select the candidate.
"In the constitution it's delegated to the Board of Trustees to select the president, and that's the responsibility of the Board of Trustees. It's not the responsibility of the interview search committee of the university nor the campus search committee.
Robert Luckett is a professor at JSU and was a member of the campus search committee. He says despite being left out of the process, he is hopeful the community can join in support of the selected candidate.
"Should Dr. Bynum be our next president that we will come together and support him but that we'll be diligent in the work that we do and that we make sure that our voices are heard at IHL especially if that administration does not reflect the values that we hold dear at this university."
The JSU alumni association is holding a press conference today to ask the Board to reconsider its selection. However, the Board rarely rejects its own preferred candidate.
