Cal Poly San Luis Obispo said June 18 that Robert Glidden, president emeritus of Ohio University, will serve as its new interim president as the school continues its search for a new leader.

Glidden temporarily will fill the space vacated by longtime Cal Poly president Warren Baker, who announced his retirement last year after more than three decades at the helm.

Cal Poly has been looking for a new president since then. Three candidates were named and paraded around the campus, but on June 7 the school unexpectedly announced that top California State University officials had ordered the headhunting to start over.

“The board of trustees certainly respects the level of experience the candidates bring to the process, but ultimately, we must be confident that the next president be the right fit with the campus and the community,” CSU Chancellor Charles Reed said in a June 7 news release. “In addition, we are competing to attract candidates within national presidential compensation levels that are often much higher than we are able to offer. This makes the search that much more difficult.”

Glidden headed Ohio University’s six campuses for 10 years until 2004. Prior to that he served in a number of positions at Florida State University, including provost, vice president of academic affairs, dean and professor.

“Bob is an experienced president and higher education administrator, and his leadership will help Cal Poly to continue moving forward,” Reed said in a release. “He has a wealth of experience and has served in a variety of capacities at several comprehensive four-year universities. We appreciate that he has agreed to un-retire and join the Cal Poly campus.”

Glidden will take the interim position after Baker departs on July 31 and will serve until the presidential search is complete, Cal Poly said. His salary will be set at the CSU Board of Trustees meeting in July.

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