Kennesaw State's Provost Pick Withdraws

The search is back on for a provost at .

Timothy Chandler, the candidate endorsed by KSU’s search committee and by university President Daniel Papp, announced Thursday that he won’t be taking the job as provost and vice president for academic affairs.

“I have decided it is in the best interest of Kennesaw State University for me to withdraw at this time,” Chandler, the senior associate provost at Kent State University in Ohio, said in a statement Kennesaw State released. “I feel strongly about the commitment that I made to elevating Kennesaw State University’s academic stature. However, I have now come to believe that the recent distractions caused by external forces would interfere with my effectiveness as provost.”

Those “external forces” are largely the Marietta Daily Journal, which uncovered a 1998 academic paper Chandler co-authored that has been characterized as Marxist and anti-American.

The resulting controversy, which Papp has said caught him by surprise, has filled the MDJ’s opinion pages and led the KSU faculty senate to consider a resolution supporting Chandler’s hiring Monday. But the senate instead tabled the motion, the MDJ reported.

It won’t have to take up the motion again next month after Chandler’s announcement.

“I appreciate the opportunity that the Kennesaw State University appointment presented and am truly grateful for the support given to me by colleagues at Kennesaw State University, Kent State University and the American Association of University Professors,” Chandler said.

Papp said Chandler’s decision was his own.

“Dr. Chandler is a highly respected academic, and we understand his decision,” Papp said. “The Kennesaw State University community wishes Dr. Chandler all the best in his future endeavors.”

Interim Provost W. Ken Harmon remains in that position while the university starts its search again.