YOUNGSTOWN — The Youngstown State University Board of Trustees on Thursday approved a resolution to make Dec. 31 the last day for Helen K. Lafferty, YSU’s interim president since Feb. 1.

She was supposed to remain until a new president began working, but instead it now appears that YSU will be without a president to begin the year and lasting until U.S. Rep. Bill Johnson, who was named the new president on Nov. 21, starts.

Lafferty, a longtime professor and administrator at Villanova University in Pennsylvania, was hired on an interim basis to succeed Jim Tressel, who retired Feb. 1 after nearly nine years as president.

Johnson’s hiring has been met by a large amount of criticism and controversy, mostly because of the lack of transparency in the search process. Critics also believe Johnson, a seven-term Republican congressman, is not qualified for the post because he has no background in education.

“I have been honored and humbled throughout this interim presidency,” Lafferty said Thursday at the trustees meeting.

Lafferty added: “Know that I will treasure my thoughts of you and YSU, and you will forever remain deep, very deep, within my heart. I am so grateful to you for your goodness and care.”

The YSU Ohio Education Association, which represents faculty, emailed a statement following the trustees meeting Thursday that included commentary on Lafferty’s early departure.

“If Lafferty is saying ‘goodbye’ now, when Johnson doesn’t take office until March and the board and YSU administration is considering ‘reallocating resources’ for our programs in the meantime, who will be in charge to make those decisions when classes resume in January?” OEA spokesman Mark Vopat pointed out in the prepared media release. “The last thing we need is more uncertainty or another disastrous decision at YSU.”

Johnson will become the highest-paid president in YSU history, making a base annual salary of $410,000 under his three-year deal with numerous perks.

Michael Peterson, YSU trustee president, has defended the hiring, saying Johnson will leave his politics at home when he starts serving as YSU president. While Johnson is scheduled to start March 15, Peterson said said Thursday it could be sooner.