On June 30, the president’s chair at Valdosta State will be vacant. Again.

On Wednesday, Interim President Cecil Staton was appointed as the new chancellor of East Carolina University. Until June 30, Dr. Staton will still serve as the Interim President of VSU. We at The Spectator want to congratulate Dr. Staton on his great news and wish him nothing but the best.

According to a statement released by the Board of Regents, a new interim will be named, followed by a presidential search committee.

With a new interim forthcoming and new president in the future, we want the perspective president to know a few things.

A president is not just a figure head; a president is responsible for the overall well-being of this institution. We at The Spectator want the new president that understands this.

We want a president that does not hide behind a politician guise.

We want to know that the President’s door (or email) is always open.

We want a president that takes the student’s voice into account.

Since the specifics of graduation ceremonies were changed earlier this year, VSU was hit with a wave of backlash. Many students felt that Dr. Staton did not consider their input during this drastic change.

Students are the lifeblood of VSU. Once that lifeblood stagnates, VSU will cease to be. Thus, we hope the new president guarantees to make sure that students’ voices are heard.

Dr. Staton made it a point to communicate with us at The Spectator. We want to build upon this relationship with the new president.  Why? Because we serve as the voice of the students.

The most important thing that we want from our perspective president is that she or he show the vision for this university. Show what you have planned for this university. Do not have the VSU community in the dark; show them every step of the way.

The strongest force the president can have is the supportive community behind her or him.

While there has been backlash through his presidency, there have been accomplishments with Dr. Staton at the helm. Though Dr. Staton has stepped into controversy in some areas of his presidency, he appears to have made those choices for the advancements of VSU. Whatever you say about Dr. Staton, you can’t deny that he aimed big.

While we understand that the president of VSU cannot fix every problem, we know that this position comes with great power. A power to change the direction of this university.

Our next president will be the fifth president since 2011. We want a president that will commit to this university.

With open arms, we at The Spectator welcome our new president… whoever it turns out to be.