Ross: Burdette's replacement might not be hired by Oct. 1
Vice President of Finance and Administrative Services David Burdette will retire at the end of this month, but University President George Ross said he is not sure if a replacement will be in place by Oct. 1.
"I, honestly, don't know if we will have a VP in place," Ross said at Thursday's Board of Trustees meeting.
In addition to serving as the university's top financial officer, Burdette also serves as the Board of Trustees' treasurer. In response to the prospect of being without a treasurer, Ross successfully nominated Vice President of Development and External Affairs Kathy Wilbur to serve as treasurer from Oct. 1 through the end of the month.
Burdette was originally set to retire on July 31. Ross asked him to stay on board for an extra two months because the search process for his replacement was taking longer than expected. He agreed to stay until the end of September.
"We knew David was leaving on Sept. 30," Ross said after the board meeting. "We brought two very strong candidates to campus for interviews. I've met with the search committee, and we're in the process of doing reference checks right now."
Sue Fuciarelli, vice president for finance and administration at Valdosta State University, and Barrie Wilkes, CMU's associate vice president for financial services and reporting, were brought in for interviews and public forums earlier in the month.
As to when Burdette's successor will be selected, Ross said he was not sure.
"I don't know when the new VP will start," Ross said.
Similarly, Ross said he does not know what the university would do should Burdette's replacement not be set by the end of the month.
"I don't want to speculate," Ross said when asked what CMU's plan would be, while adding the search process is near its end.
-Staff Reporter Ben Solis contributed to this report.
