After a whirlwind 10-day application process that included no interviews, and a controversial reappointment of trustee Bobby Lowder, Gov. Robert Bentley has decided to slow down and reassess each of the 200 potential candidates for the Auburn University Board of Trustees.
His decision comes after Bobby Lowder, who has served 28 years as a trustee, withdrew his name from consideration, and after Senate President Pro Tem Del Marsh, R-Anniston, announced he would not bring the appointments to the confirmation committee.
Derek Trotter, Marsh's communications director, said Marsh did not feel anyone could adequately select trustee members from a pool of 200 applicants in ten days.
Trotter said he thinks this time the 5-person appointment committee will put the proper time and energy into the reselection of the board appointments through the reassessed process.
Brian Keeter, Auburn University's director of public affairs, said the University will be affected by the decision that is made by the committee, but it does not have a say in the determination of the members selected.
Rebekah Mason, director of communications for Bentley, said "from here it is the committee's job to select and the senates job to confirm."
Bentley called a committee meeting for Wednesday at 8 a.m. to begin the new selection process. The meeting will be an open meeting and will be held in the auditorium of the Capitol.
Mason said Bentley wants to bring the committee back together and "start clean."
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