Dunn a no-show for Crash Day; YSU trustees to meet on 'presidential employment'

The mystery surrounding the whereabouts and the future employment of Youngstown State University President Randy J. Dunn may be a little clearer this morning.

Dunn, who reportedly is the favorite for the top job at Southern Illinois University, didn't attend this morning's Crash Day, a recruitment event for prospective students at the campus.

And, minutes ago, Ron Cole, YSU's public information officer, released this statement: "The Youngstown State University Board of Trustees meets 6 p.m. today, Monday, Feb. 17, in the Trustees Meeting Room on the first floor of Tod Hall. The topic of the meeting is presidential employment."

As The Vindicator has been reporting since Sunday, YSU officials were surprised — and in the dark — about whether they will lose their president after only about seven months on the job after learning from SIU’s student newspaper, the Daily Egyptian, that Dunn was the front-runner for SIU’s top job.

That announcement is expected at 3 p.m. EST time.

If Dunn leaves, said Dr. Sudershan Garg, chairman of the YSU board, the board will face a lot of difficult decisions.

YSU would not only lose its president, but two other top administrators, the provost and vice president for finance and administration, who have announced they are leaving, Garg said.

Gene Grilli, vice president for finance and administration, is expected to leave soon; and Ikram Khawaja, provost and vice president for academic affairs, plans to retire June 30.

Garg said he was “surprised” by the story of Dunn applying for the SIU job, but as of Sunday night had not heard from Dunn to verify it.

This is a breaking news story. Watch Vindy.com for details.