CHENEY, Wash. — The Eastern Washington University (EWU) Board of Trustees (BOT) unanimously selected a new university president after a long search.
Shari McMahan, Ph.D., provost and vice president for academic affairs at California State University, San Bernardino (CSUSB) was selected to serve as the 27th president of EWU. She is the first woman provost in the university’s history.
McMahan, a first-generation college student, has a bachelor’s degree and Ph.D. in social ecology from the University of California Irvine, and a master’s degree in health science from California State University, Northridge.
“This robust search process involved input with stakeholders from all over campus and the community, and the Board I am confident Dr. McMahan will be an amazing Eagle who will move this university forward," Kim Pearman-Gilman BOT Chair said.
McMahan's appointment will be official until a contract is negotiated and signed, which is expected to be ready by the middle of March.
The BOT first started the search for the university’s 27th president in April 2021. McMahan was selected after a nationwide search that attracted 60 applications, and then it was narrowed to four finalists.
The four candidates visited the EWU Cheney campus to participate in interviews and open forums with campus staff at the beginning of February 2022.
McMahan visited the campus on Feb. 4 to meet with campus and community constituents and participated in open forums on the Cheney and Spokane campuses.
McMahan has been involved in CSUSB making efforts to increase faculty diversity, developing policies to increase graduation rates, assisting with an initiative to help students experiencing food insecurity, and working on strategies to increase campus morale.
EWU Interim President David May will remain in his president role position until McMahan assumes the position, which is expected to begin this summer.