Cameron University’s Board of Regents considers process to replace retiring President John McArthur

Cameron University’s governing Board of Regents will consider establishing a president search committee today, after formal notification of the retirement of CU President John McArthur.

McArthur announced Wednesday that he was retiring effective July 3, after 11 years as Cameron’s president.

The announcement prompted an agenda item by the University of Oklahoma Board of Regents, which will meet today at the OU Health Sciences Center in Oklahoma City on a full agenda for Cameron, OU and Rogers State University. The item asks to appoint an administrative search committee to recommend candidates for CU president to the regents, who will select that person.

Regents are expected to outline the Cameron president search process, which may include composition of the search committee, the advertisement, the charge to the search committee and criteria for the selection of a president. Under board of regents policy, that search committee will include representation from Cameron’s faculty, staff and students, as well as the Cameron community and Board of Regents. And, because regents have not had the opportunity to solicit committee nominees and because the next meeting of the Board of Regents doesn’t occur until March, today’s action also would authorize the Board of Regent’s chair to appoint search committee members now sop it may begin work.

McArthur was named president of Cameron University in May 2013, just in time for Cameron’s commencement that evening, began work July 1, 2013, and was invested as president during a ceremony in October 2013. Before his selection as president, McArthur served as provost of Cameron’s Office of Academic Affairs and also was dean of the university’s science and technology department. He also had been a professor at Colorado State University-Pueblo, and Southeastern Oklahoma State University.

In other administrative business, the Board of Regents also will act on a recommendation from McArthur to name Michael Coponiti vice president for business and finance at Cameron, effective Jan. 22. Coponti, who earned his master of business administration from Cameron, has been vice president for business and finance at the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma in Chickasha.