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ASU President Search Committee Meets; Students Protest

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By Jessica Gertler

Story Created: Feb 8, 2013 at 5:05 PM CDT

Story Updated: Feb 8, 2013 at 5:05 PM CDT

After the controversial exit of Alabama State University's Former President, the university's presidential search committee met this afternoon. They discussed their plan of action and whether they should use an outside hiring firm.

Students and alumni are watching this search closely after many were upset when the former president agreed to leave. But the committee made it clear that this selection will be done right.

After ASU President Joseph Silver was placed on administrative leave in November, and then agreed to step down from his position a month later, the Board of Trustees appointed a search committee to find a replacement. The committee held their first meeting Friday afternoon.

Bea Forniss sits on the committee and was also on the committee who hired Silver in September.

"The search will be a wonderful search," she says. "It will be deeper than what we did the first time."

The committee will reconvene in March, and until then, each member will look over the process and consider using a firm like the one used in Silver's hire.

This time around, Forniss says the committee should find a new president without outside help.

"It was costly. I'm sure we can get the same quality without a firm to do it," Forniss says.

Before the committee meeting, students gathered on campus to demand answers from the Board of Trustees. Protesters want the board to wait until the governor's and university's audits are complete before they hire a new president.

"It's all on students minds," says organizer Marcus Davis. "Not just student's minds, but faculty's minds. Everybody is questioning what's going on."

"I ask the students to just let us go through the process, because without the students we wouldn't have a university. We want to do the right thing," says Forniss.

The next meeting will not be until March. Committee members say there is no time limit.They just want to make sure they hire the best person for the job.

If the committee decides to hire an outside firm to help, the Board of Trustees would have to approve it.

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