President Neil Kerwin and AU's board of trustees continue to make plans for Kerwin's inauguration ceremonies and for how to conduct the process of creating a new strategic plan for the university, according to Presidential Chief of Staff David Taylor.
Kerwin officially became president on Saturday, ending a transition period that began when the board selected him to take over the position permanently on July 20. Kerwin previously served as acting and interim president since Aug. 24, 2005, when the board suspended and later fired then-President Ben Ladner following an investigation into claims that he had misused university funds, The Eagle previously reported.
The university did not need to hold an inauguration ceremony in order for Kerwin to transition and continue to serve as president, so it did not need to be held on the day his title switched from "president-elect" to "president." It's more typical for a university president's inauguration to occur well after he or she has taken over the position.
However, the event usually occurs within the president's first year in office, Taylor said.
Although Ladner's official term of office began on July 1, 1994, his inauguration didn't occur until Nov. 4 of that year, The Eagle previously reported.
Taylor said the people working to plan the inauguration want to present some options for Kerwin and the board to choose from, but added that details about the event, including a possible date on which it could occur, should become clearer in the coming weeks.
Kerwin is expected to discuss the start of a new strategic planning process later this month. The new plan would replace the current "15 Points" plan, which the board adopted in November 2001, according to a statement Kerwin e-mailed to the AU community on Aug. 9.
"The time has come to replace the current '15 Points' plan with a new document to project the mission, values and priorities of our institution and set specific goals for which we all will be accountable," Kerwin said in the statement.
Kerwin has not scheduled any meetings on the strategic planning process yet. He and others involved in deciding how to proceed are still thinking on how to include all university groups in creating the new strategic plan, Taylor said.
