Minnesota State board picks interim chancellor Devinder Malhotra to fill chancellor role

Two rounds of searches for chancellors over two years have not given the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system board a candidate they've liked, so the board has picked its interim chancellor to fill the role.

Devinder Malhotra, the interim chancellor for the Minnesota State since last fall, will be offered a three-year contract to be chancellor.

The contract offer still has to be approved by the board.

His likely appointment comes after two separate year-long searches for a new chancellor. Each of them ended with three finalists being named and, ultimately, rejected by the board.

Malhotra previously served as interim president at Metropolitan State University from 2014 to 2016, and was provost at St. Cloud State University from 2009 to 2014.