Texas Tech University president Guy Bailey was hired as the new president of the University of Alabama today after an interview as the sole presidential finalist with the school’s Board of Trustees.

Bailey was hired after being presented to the board by the search committee in a public meeting in the Bryant Conference Center on the UA campus at 11 a.m.

The 23-member committee represented broad sections of the university community, including six members of the board of trustees, nine UA administrators, five business leaders and alumni, two professors and one student, SGA president Matt Calderone. Calderone was not in attendance at the interview and could not be contacted for comment.

“There was one person that stood out as the best [in the search process for a president], and [Bailey] quickly rose to the top,” said Karen Brooks, chairwoman of the search committee. “We interviewed Dr. Bailey first, and you may think you’d forget the first person you interviewed. But we never forgot Guy Bailey.”

Bailey, a Montgomery, Ala., native and the first member of his family to go to college, attended Alabama from 1968-1974, earning both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from UA in English. The ability to return to his home state and alma mater seemed to be a major contributing factor to his decision to accept the position.

“I can’t think of any honor I’ve had in my professional career that is greater than being here in front of you today,” Bailey said, surprised by the changes that have occurred on campus since his time there in 1974. “This is a beautiful place and a place that has touched many people’s lives. One of my primary interests in this job is what this university did for me. … When I walked on this campus in 1968, I could never dream that one day I would be the university president, and yet the foundation and the education that I got here is instrumental in doing it. And without it I would be nowhere.

“This is my home. I’m proud to be from Alabama, and I’m proud to be from this institution.”

After a July 6 press release was sent out by the UA system that noted Bailey had been “invited to interview for the presidency” and detailed the specifics of the interview, much speculation ensued over Bailey accepting the position.

A large focus of the interview centered on student enrollment. Bailey believes having a personal hand in the recruitment process is important to gaining successful students.

“The enrollment at an institution is probably the best gauge of its health,” he said. “And then again, not just the quantity but the quality. … If you really want that to happen, the president has to be fully involved. … One of the things I say to students is, ‘Look, if you haven’t met the president, don’t go to school there.’

As for his focus as president, Bailey said he would remain student-centered at Alabama.

“The success of the students is the measure of our success, and there really isn’t a measure apart from that.”

Bailey also sees the athletic program of UA as a key principal in the recruitment of students.

“When I was growing up here, I would have known nothing about the University without the athletic program,” he said. “One thing, the athletic program is a terrific aid in recruiting students and helping people understand what the University is.”