Pennsylvania’s State System of Higher Education will conduct a national search for the next president of Commonwealth University.
Meanwhile, system Chancellor Christopher Fiorentino on Wednesday selected Jeffery Osgood as interim president of the school, formed after the 2022 merger of Bloomsburg, Lock Haven and Mansfield universities.
Osgood is the executive vice president and chief academic officer at West Chester University. The system’s board of governors will consider Osgood's appointment at its July meeting. If approved, he will begin serving as interim president on August 1.
Embattled President Bashar Hanna will step down July 31, he announced last month. In February, faculty overwhelmingly expressed a lack of confidence in Hanna. The no-confidence vote followed last summer's $3.9 million federal jury verdict handed down against Hanna, the university and other officials in a whistleblower case.
Hanna will become vice chancellor for strategic initiatives for the state system. Osgood intends to return to West Chester after Commonwealth concludes a national search for a new president.
“We are grateful we can tap into the considerable talent that exists at our PASSHE universities to fill this interim role, and we are thankful to Dr. Osgood for being willing to take on this one-year appointment to help a sister institution while it searches for a president,” Fiorentino said in a statement.
Osgood began his career at West Chester as a faculty member and has since held several leadership roles, currently overseeing both academic and financial operations.
“As a current State System employee, he is well-positioned to begin working with the university’s leadership team and the Council of Trustees immediately, helping to ensure a smooth and effective transition before officially assuming the interim presidency,” according to a notice sent to the campus community.
The state system and Commonwealth have begun discussions about the search, which will get underway when classes resume in the fall.
