Brian McCall will apparently be the next chancellor of the Texas State University System.
The board of regents picked the state representative, a Plano Republican, as the sole finalist to replace Charles Matthews in that job. They'll make the announcement on Monday.
McCall announced last year that he would not seek reelection to another term in the Texas House, surprising some because he only recently won his first committee chairmanship and was part of new House Speaker Joe Straus' leadership team.
But after 20 years in elected office, McCall had his eye on the academy, having completed his doctorate at the University of Texas while in the Legislature and having already made a financial success of himself in the insurance business. He wasn't immediately available for comment, but has been calling friends and supporters to share the news.
The Texas State University System has several institutions in its corral: Texas State University, Lamar University, Sam Houston State University, Sul Ross University, Lamar Institute of Technology, Lamar State College in Orange, and Lamar State College in Port Arthur.
Matthews, a former Garland mayor and Texas Railroad Commissioner, became chancellor in 2005 and retired from that post last year. McCall was one of more than two dozen candidates for the post, a list that also included Sen. Jeff Wentworth, R-San Antonio.
McCall wasn't running for reelection, but hadn't said whether he plans to finish his current term, which runs until January. If he goes on the state payroll before then, he'll probably have to give up the legislative gig, and that'll mean a special election to replace him. If he's nimble, that election could be held in May; the deadline to declare a seat empty and open for election on the regular May 8 election date is April 2. That's this week. If everybody hurries, they'll be able to hold the special election when people are already voting. Plano has a city council vote on that date, to replace Mabrie Jackson, one of the candidates running to replace McCall in the House.
