The search for the new president of Washington State University officially began, following a meeting held by the Board of Regents on Thursday.

Out of respect for the Floyd family and the entire WSU community, the board had refrained from taking large strides to find a successor for Floyd until after his university-wide memorial, which occurred on August 26.

The board has created an interim special committee – called the Presidential Search Advisory Committee – to search for and electing a new president by the end of the 2016 Spring Semester.

Input will be required of everyone within the WSU community, and timeliness is of utmost importance to the Board. The board has taken several measures to provide platforms for feedback.

The goal of the board is to ensure that the search is inclusive and confidential until a decision is made.

The committee is planning to organize seven forums designed to collect input. Additionally, the website presidentialsearch.wsu.edu will be launching within the next few days to assist with the monitoring of the forums.

The regents hope to announce the members who will be a part of these various committees at their next meeting.

Reporting by Kayla Bonar