If approved, Poston would replace Douglas Buhler on Jan. 1, 2013. Buhler has served as interim dean of the college since January 2011.

Wilcox said having a talented and experienced person in this position was important for the college to move forward.

“(He’s) very knowledgeable about the university, knowledgeable about the college and knowledgeable about agriculture in the state of Michigan,” Wilcox said.

Prior to becoming vice president for finance and operations in 1999, Poston already served as the dean of the CANR for eight years.

When he accepted his current position in 1999, Poston said it only was supposed to be for six months.

Nearly 14 years later, however, Poston is nearing the end of his career and said he was a little surprised when the university gave up the search to find a younger and more energetic candidate to choose him for the CANR dean.

Poston said as he begins his tenure as the new CANR dean, he isn’t looking for a long-term assignment and expects to stay in this position for only about two or three years.

“I had always thought I (would) finish my career (as the vice president for finance and operations),” Poston said. “They needed somebody to move the college forward. I finally decided this was in the best interest (of the university).”

MSU Trustee Mitch Lyons, who will be voting on the recommendation Friday, said this was a positive move for the college, citing Poston’s good understanding of the entire university.

He said current interim dean Buhler “didn’t sign on for the long haul” and was only temporary.

“We need to get the college back on strong footing,” Lyons said. “I think (Poston) can help us, and I think he has the desire to do that.”

Although this was an unexpected change in his career, Poston said it feels comfortable and is as if he is “coming home,” because of his long-standing history with the college.

Poston said because it has been several years since he was dean of CANR, it will take some time to get back into the swing of things, as the college has changed immensely in the past 14 years.

“When you’re becoming a dean, you do a lot of research (about the college), and I haven’t had a chance to do anything,” Poston said. “I’ll spend a few weeks getting to know the faculty and where the college is at this point.”

As for his current position, Poston said Simon will start searching for his replacement right away because the university “can’t afford to not have a vice president for finance and operations.”