Higher Education Board Chair Favors Keeping Interim Leader of North Dakota Colleges

 Tim Mihalick, right. Interim chancellor Brent Sanford. (Photo by Jeff Beach/North Dakota Monitor)

(North Dakota Monitor) – The chair of the North Dakota State Board of Higher Education said  that he will propose giving interim Chancellor Brent Sanford the job on a long-term basis.

Sanford, a former lieutenant governor, was named the interim leader of the North Dakota University System in April. Sanford replaced Mark Hagerott, who left the position at the end of  April.

Black, who was named board chair in May, spoke to the Legislature’s Higher Education Institutions Committee that was meeting in Dickinson. Black said he favored skipping a nationwide search in favor of giving Sanford the job.

Black said a search would likely cost more than $100,000 and still lead the board back to Sanford.

He praised Sanford’s work as interim chancellor and said a search “is going to lead us right back to the person we think we know would be the best for the job.”