The Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (PASSHE) announced in July that Frank T. Brogan would begin serving as the new chancellor beginning Oct. 1.
A PASSHE press release stated that Brogan had previously been employed as Florida’s chancellor since 2009.
“His tenure brought a welcome sense of stability for the system,” stated the press release. “Relationships with the Florida Legislature have been restored as evidenced by this year’s reversal of a previous $300 million budget cut and the addition of more than $400 million in new funding for operations, facilities and maintenance.
Brogan has stated that working on Pa.’s education budget is one of his main goals.
“An important role for the Chancellor is to be the system’s number-one advocate for securing the resources that our faculty and staff need to deliver the world-class experience our students deserve,” Brogan said in a PASSHE press release. “That means making a case for reinvestment in our university system. With good data and clear communication, we can continue to demonstrate to our partners in the General Assembly and in the community that PASSHE institutions provide an impressive return on investment.”
The search for the new chancellor began in February after the previous chancellor Dr. John C. Cavanaugh resigned after finding another job.
According to PASSHE spokesperson Kenn Marshall, the position of chancellor has many responsibilities including developing policy recommendations, serving as the chief executive officer of the system, he evaluates the university presidents and he meets with regularly legislatives to advocate for the annual budget for the state system.
PASSHE created search committee was created to find a new chancellor. The committee began by creating numerous public boards to meet with faculty members, students, alumni, and community business leaders in order to ask what they thought that the university needed to accomplish. They used the input that was received in order to create a position description.
According to Marshall, there were hundreds of people who applied or were nominated by others for the position.
There was also an executive search firm that helped screen applicants and that conducted many interviews over the phone. Afterwards, they conducted face to face interviews to narrow down the selection.
After those interviews were finished, only three candidates remained, Marshall explained. Those candidates went to Harrisburg in late July to meet with groups of faculty, students, alumni and local business leaders. Those groups sent their recommendations to the Board of Governors. The entire Board of Governors then met with the candidates individually for interviews.
Brogan was selected as the top candidate.
