On Feb. 9, the Minnesota State Board of Trustees unanimously voted to have Devinder Malhotra serve as the interim chancellor of Minnesota State (formerly known as MnSCU), according to their website.

“A wise, effective visionary, and collaborative leader is a necessary condition to the success of our colleges and universities,” Minnesota State Board of Trustees Chair Michael Vekich said during the meeting.

The search advisory consisted of trustees, students, faculty, staff, presidents, members of the chancellor’s cabinet, and community leaders. A total of 43 candidates applied, from which the committee chose ten to interview and eight participated. From these interviews, the top three were selected as finalists for the position.

“All three of the candidates who visited this week engaged us in thoughtful discussions about the challenges our colleges and universities face,” Vekich said, “as well as the opportunities that are possible in the coming years.”

Vekich noted that each finalist had unique strengths “but as we evaluated the feedback we received from our stakeholders, it became increasingly clear that we have not yet found the right person to lead Minnesota State over the years ahead.”

For this reason, Vekich stated that he felt the search for the next chancellor should continue and an interim chancellor should be appointed.

“It has to be someone who understands us,” Vekich said, “who can hit the ground running, and who can move the board’s agenda.”

Vekich proceeded to recommend that Malhotra be appointed as interim chancellor.

“Malhotra is honored to be called to this service and, more importantly, he is prepared for the challenge this role presents,” Vekich said.

In his remarks before the board, Malhotra thanked them for giving him another opportunity to serve the citizens of Minnesota.

“Minnesota State is a large and complex organization, where each university and college has its

local and regional impact,” Malhotra said. “Yet these individual institutional missions and the resultant operational frames are woven into a mosaic of strong—I may add wonderful—systematic patterns that harken to our commonality and to our collective steadfast focus on providing all Minnesotans with an affordable, extraordinary education.”

Malhotra noted that under the leadership of the board, they have perused an aggressive change agenda which he says will effectively prepare Minnesotans for a changing world.

“I am under no illusion that we have reached the end of the journey and the work is done,” Malhotra said, “We have only just started, and the task before us will not be easy.”

Malhotra noted that during his time as interim chancellor, he wants to make sure that the momentum of change does not slow down.

“I do not want to leave you with the impression that I have all the answers,” Malhotra said. “In fact, I do not.”

Despite this, Malhotra assured the board that he will work hard to follow their guidance as he serves Minnesota’s colleges and universities.