JACKSON, Miss. — Chief Operating Officer Jerryl Briggs will become acting president of Mississippi Valley State University.
The state College Board named him Thursday to take over on July 1 from William Bynum Jr., who will become president of Jackson State University.
Board spokeswoman Caron Blanton says Briggs will be acting president until trustees begin looking for a permanent replacement in August. Trustees then will name an interim president, who could be Briggs or someone else.
Trustee rules bar an interim president from being a candidate for the permanent post. But Briggs could apply if he’s not named the interim at the 2,500-student university.
Blanton says trustees intend to go through a full, open search, instead of opting to quickly name a candidate they already know.
Bynum has endorsed Briggs as his successor.
