WHEELING, WV, Oct. 28, 2009 - The Wheeling Jesuit University Board of Directors has halted their search for a new president. The timing of the search and a dwindling candidate pool were key factors in the decision.

The first meeting of the search committee took place on Aug. 31.

"We were hoping to appoint a new president by the first of the year, but the process of hiring a college president takes time, and we want to be as thorough as possible in finding the right leader for the university," said William Fisher, board chair.

Leadership changed at Wheeling Jesuit on Aug. 5, 2009 with the departure of Julio Giulietti, S.J., who served as president of Wheeling Jesuit for two years. J. Davitt McAteer, a vice president at Wheeling Jesuit, is serving as the interim president. McAteer has chosen not to be a candidate for the permanent position of president.

A Presidential Search Committee was selected by the Board of Directors and began the work of finding a new leader for the Jesuit, Catholic university to continue its mission of "educating students for life, leadership and service." For the first time ever, the field was open to lay persons.

Initially 35 candidates applied. From this pool, seven advanced to personal interviews in Pittsburgh and from that a final two were selected. At this point, the search was suspended.

The search is suspended to review the best options for reopening the hiring process.

"We want to take our time and do this right, so we are willing to suspend the search for the good of the institution," Fisher said.