Oct 30, 2025
SCSU announces finalists for university president
By Shay Lelonek / News Director
ST. CLOUD, Minn. — The search for a new university president at SCSU is coming to an end as four finalists were announced on Thursday, Oct. 30.
In July, Interim President Larry Dietz announced that he’d be leaving the university at the end of the fall 2025 semester due to family health issues. The university started the search for a new president immediately after Dietz’s announcement.
The finalists include Lisa Foss, Rodney Hanley, Matt Cecil, and Gregory Tomso. The finalists will visit the campus on Nov. 5, 6, and 7, according to the St. Cloud State University website
Foss is currently the senior director for U.S. Practice, University Design Institute at Arizona State University. She has held multiple positions at SCSU in the past as vice president for planning and engagement and chief strategy officer. Foss will be visiting campus on Wednesday, Nov. 5.
Hanley is the president of Northeastern State University in Tahlequah, Oklahoma. Before that position, he was the president at Lake Superior State University in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. Earlier in his career, he was a biology professor at several universities. Hanley will also be on campus on Wednesday, Nov. 5.
Cecil currently serves as the interim provost and senior vice chancellor for academic affairs at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside. Prior to that, Cecil served as the special advisor to the president at Northern Kentucky University. From 2016 to 2019, Cecil was the dean of the College of Arts and Humanities at Minnesota State Mankato. He will be visiting campus on Thursday, Nov. 6.
Tomso is currently on sabbatical until 2026 from his previous position as vice president, academic engagement and student affairs at the University of West Florida, a position he’s held since 2021. His service in higher education goes back to 2001, when he was an assistant professor of English at Ithaca College, New York. Tomso will come to campus on Friday, Nov. 7.
When the candidates visit campus, they’ll partake in community sessions, lunch with cabinet members, an open forum for staff and students, an open forum for IFO faculty, an administrator forum, a campus tour, and an open forum.
The candidate selected for the position will start on Jan. 1, 2026.
