photo by: Conrad Swanson

A sign at the entrance to Haskell Indian Nations University is shown Friday, Aug. 5, 2016.

The Bureau of Indian Education is moving closer to finding a permanent president for Haskell Indian Nations University, the university’s interim leader says.

Interim President Monte Monteith told the Haskell Board of Regents at their Thursday meeting that the position is expected to be filled “by the start of the school year.”

Monteith said the BIE would involve the Board of Regents in the interview process, but he did not specify when interviews would begin.

The recent series of leadership changes at Haskell began in November 2018, when then-President Venida Chenault left to work on a special assignment with the BIE. In March, the BIE announced that Chenault would not be returning to her position, but would instead be working as a policy analyst in the BIE Office of Policy Development.

Dan Wildcat, Haskell’s acting vice president for academics, took over temporary leadership of the university in November, after Chenault’s departure. Then, in late March, the BIE named Monteith as Haskell’s interim president.

Before taking the position, Monteith worked as an education specialist at Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute in Albuquerque, N.M. His appointment ends in July 2019.