The Northern Kentucky University Board of Regents decided Monday during a special meeting that the university’s interim president will not be able to serve as permanent president.
The vote comes after the abrupt departure of former NKU President Ashish Vaidya, which was announced in November. The board has yet to appoint an interim president in his absence.
According to NKU Board of Regents Chair Rich Boehne, the board is hopeful to have an interim president selected at their next meeting on Jan. 18.
“We have a meeting a little over a week from now. We’re hopeful that that’ll be the day,” Boehne said.
Boehne said this was a “gating issue” that had to be resolved before selecting an interim president.
“This was a very important step because if you think about it some people would really like to be included in a pool and some don’t,” Boehne said. “I thought it was best to handle it this way. Make it clear and obviously, that will affect our choice.”
The number of candidates in the running is undisclosed at the moment, according to Boehne.
He continued that this issue is very often debated.
“There are pros and cons,” Boehne said. “One view is potentially giving somebody an opportunity, a first look. Is that OK? Or does that disadvantage other candidates? Some people feel that’s just fine if you have a very good candidate for interim, and some, obviously, I’ve voted no, would include me, that I think it’s best to separate the two.”
Vaidya had been with NKU since July 1, 2018.
The announcement regarding Vaidya came on the heels of an October report showing the university faced a budget deficit of $18.7 million, which has since increased to $24.2 million.
According to reporting from NKU’s student newspaper, The Northerner, the university’s gross tuition and fees revenue fell by 2.3% from $168.5 million in 2021 to $164.6 million this year, while expenses rose from $276.7 million to $290.2 million, representing a 4.9% change.
However, per Rich Boehne, chair of NKU’s Board of Regents, this is not why the university and Vaidya parted ways. Boehne said the departure was mutually agreed upon, and related to the future vision for NKU, not the budget deficit.
Vaidya’s position at the university officially ended Dec. 19, and the former president received $1.3 million in compensation in his separation agreement.