The Texas Southern University Board of Regents unanimously chose former UH interim President and UH System Chancellor John Rudley as its sole presidential finalist Friday, the Houston Chronicle reported.
"It is a singular honor to be selected as the next president of Texas Southern University," Rudley told the Houston Chronicle. "And it is one that I do not take lightly. I am privileged to have the opportunity to return to this great institution."
Rudley will replace former TSU President Priscilla Slade, who was fired because of a "spending scandal" in June 2006, the Chronicle reported. J. Timothy Boddie Jr. temporarily replaced Slade as TSU interim president.
Rudley served as the vice president for fiscal affairs, internal auditor and assistant to the vice president for fiscal affairs of TSU in the 1980s. His wife Docia Rudley is a law professor at TSU.
The TSU Board of Regents voted 9-0 in favor of Rudley, the Chronicle reported. According to state law, the board will have to wait 21 days before announcing its final decision.
The UH System Board of Regents elected Rudley as interim president and chancellor in May after former President Jay Gogue accepted the presidency of his alma mater, Auburn University, in March. Before being appointed as interim president and chancellor, Rudley served as vice president and vice chancellor for administration and finance.
Slade’s mismanagement of university funds became public following an investigation by three TSU students when a fellow student died near the campus in 2004.
The New York Times reported in August that an investigation into the allegations from three TSU students found that Slade spent TSU funds on personal expenses, such a security system and landscaping, instead of campus safety.
In lieu of the scandal, TSU officials told the Chronicle they hope Rudley will help guide the school in a better direction.
"We don’t expect him to wave a magic wand," TSU board chairman Glenn Lewis told the Chronicle. "But we expect him to provide some direction and guidance."
