CSLB President McCray Seeking Job in Florida

Curtis L. McCray, president of Cal State Long Beach since 1988, has applied for the presidency of Florida State University in Tallahassee.

“It’s a presidency I’ve looked at for a long time,” McCray said. “This move (to Long Beach) gave me an opportunity to take on size; if I were to go to Florida State it would give me the task of taking on complexity.” Long Beach State has about 35,000 students and Florida State enrolls about 28,000.

Florida State’s current president, Bernard F. Sliger, has announced his resignation effective in August after a term of 14 years. McCray, who before coming to Long Beach was president of the University of North Florida in Jacksonville, was recently invited to become a candidate after being suggested for the post by a Florida businessman. A spokesman for the university said that a group of more than 130 applicants will be narrowed down to a small number of finalists by March.