The story has been updated to include comment from OU Spokeswoman Carly Leatherwood.
Ohio University President Roderick McDavis withdrew his name from contention for the Florida Gulf Coast University president position.
Susan Evans, vice president and chief of staff at Florida Gulf Coast, said McDavis has accepted a job somewhere else and therefore declined to interview.
"Earlier this morning in the Committee's organizational meeting our Chair announced that the executive search firm we're using had informed him this morning that our candidate Dr. Rod McDavis withdrew his FGCU candidacy this morning because he had accepted another position," Evans said in an email.
It is unclear where McDavis could have accepted another position.
OU Spokeswoman Carly Leatherwood said the university had no comment, but said McDavis would "notify the board and campus community because he deeply cares about Ohio University and its future and respects our students, faculty, staff, alumni and friends of the institution."
McDavis was originally set to interview Friday at 10 a.m. for the position. He was one of nine semifinalists, and one other candidate had already dropped out before Thursday.
McDavis is the second alumnus and first African American to serve as president of OU.
He announced in March that he would step down from his position as OU president when his contract expires June 30. He started his presidency in July 2004 and is currently earning $500,000 for the 2016-17 academic year.
McDavis previously served as a professor, dean and administrator at the University of Florida and Virginia Commonwealth University.
