HARRISBURG (TNS) — Penn State trustees have scheduled a special meeting for Thursday morning to elect a new president.

The selection will culminate a presidential search process that began last February, and now may result in a transition to Penn State’s next leader a little sooner than some had originally expected. The recommended candidate, who has not been publicly identified to date, is expected to be in attendance Thursday, a clear signal that the board has reached a consensus.

Current President Eric Barron had previously announced his retirement as of the end of the 2021-22 academic year, when his current contract expires. Barron, who has held the presidency since 2014, is still likely to stay on in a transitional role. His contract allows for a one-year consultancy period, with Barron being paid at the same salary of the last year of his full-time service as president.

Barron, a longtime Penn State faculty member and administrator, returned to Penn State in 2014 as the first president hired after the upheaval caused by the Jerry Sandusky child sex abuse scandal. His predecessor, Rodney Erickson, had been serving as provost when he was asked to step up after the resignation-under-pressure of former President Graham Spanier on the heels of Sandusky’s November 2011 arrest.

Barron was serving as president of Florida State University at the time.

During his tenure, Barron has led Penn State to several years of record applications for admission, seen the Penn State’s research enterprise crack the $1 billion threshold in annual contracts and commissions, and generally — with the aid of time — helped the school steer away from the fissures created by the scandal.

Thursday’s meeting is scheduled for 11 a.m., with a press conference to follow.