Utah Regents to select new higher ed boss

This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2012, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

Members of the Utah State Board of Regents on Thursday are privately interviewing finalists hoping to succeed William Sederberg as commissioner of higher education.

The governor-appointed panel, which oversees higher education policy in Utah, is expected to convene in public at 2:30 p.m. to announce who will guide the state's eight-campus system of public colleges and universities. Under a recently enacted law, the appointment is subject to the approval of the Utah Senate.

Regents launched a nationwide search in January for a new commissioner shortly after concluding their search for a new president for the University of Utah. Regents also have a nationwide presidential search for Weber State University underway.

The number and the names of commissioner finalists have not been disclosed, but they were selected from a short list of nine candidates from around the nation, including Utah, according to Regents spokeswoman Pamela Silberman.

Sederberg, who had served as president of Utah Valley University during its transition from a state college, retires in August at age 65 after four years as commissioner. Sederberg, who been earning $226,000 in that post, has not announced plans for his future, although he has said he wants to remain involved with higher education.

— Brian Maffly