CSUN will not likely have a new president before Jolene Koester retires in December even though board members voted to restructure the presidential search as part of Tuesday and Wednesday’s board of trustees meeting.

The new process started with the appointment of four trustees who will work with a campus advisory committee to start searching for CSUN’s new president.

“We hope to have a president by December,” said Herbert Carter, board of trustees chair. “If not, we’ll see if we can lean on (Koester) to stay for another month.”

Koester, who attended the meeting, said she was pleased the search had finally begun, but an interim president would likely be needed before the position can be filled.

“It’s unlikely they’ll get it done by December,” Koester said. “I could stay for a little while longer, but only a few weeks.”

Carter chose the committee based on a few main factors, he said, including a familiarity with the campus, and understanding the particular issues facing each school.

The advisory committee for CSUN has not been finalized and there is no timeline for the committee to be chosen, said Liz Chapin, CSU spokeswoman.

Bob Linscheid, who graduated from CSU Chico and served on the board since 2005, will head the main body for CSUN’s search.  He will work with both the board selection committee and a campus advisory committee to choose a candidate with the right attributes for CSUN, Chapin said.

Linscheid will also confer with Chancellor Charles Reed about possible internal hires, Chapin said.

Other board members working with Linscheid include Carol Chandler, Glen Toney and Debra Farar, who received both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from CSUN.