When University at Buffalo President John B. Simpson announced his retirement on the first day of classes last August, his decision sent a shockwave throughout the school. After all, a president resigning on the first day of classes isn't exactly a common occurrence.
Luckily, UB's collective nerves were thoroughly calmed when it was announced that Simpson would remain in office until Jan. 15.
This meant that UB would maintain stability at the top office while going on the long search for a new president. For the time being, everything seemed OK.
Unfortunately, there was one problem: Jan.15 was fast approaching, and there wouldn't be enough time to choose a new president before the deadline. At this point, the administration asked Simpson to postpone his retirement temporarily until a replacement could be chosen, and Simpson accepted.
Simpson would later state the Jan. 15 deadline was arbitrary and that he had little qualms going against it. It was more of a theoretical resignation date than a strict ultimatum.
We here at The Spectrum believe this was the best way for the situation to play out.
Admittedly, it may be frustrating to have UB's next president up in the air, and it feels a bit strange not knowing how long our current president will be in office. Still, we believe keeping Simpson in office for the time being is a lot better than not having a president or going with an unproven interim choice.
Furthermore, it appears as though the search for the next university president, led by Vice Provost Scott Weber, may be over soon enough. Based on the five-month period that it took for another Weber-led committee to select Dr. Satish K. Tripathi as provost, it is reasonable to believe that it won't take long for a new president to be named.
Granted, selecting a president isn't the same thing as selecting a provost, but still, UB's administrators have a track record of working fast in these situations, and there is ample reason to believe they will work quickly here as well.
The main point here is that while Simpson remaining president for an undetermined amount of time may seem unorthodox, at this present time, it just makes sense.
Much like the initial Jan. 15 scenario, Simpson's decision to postpone his retirement will stabilize UB during the interim period as its next president is selected and make for a much smoother transition into the next administration when that date arrives.
Editorials represent the majority opinion of the Spectrum editorial board.
