BELLINGHAM — Trustees unanimously approved Bruce Shepard Friday as Western Washington University’s next president.

Shepard, 61, will take over from President Karen Morse, who will retire Sept. 1 after 15 years on the job.

In a small meeting room crammed with faculty members holding blue and white placards demanding “Fair Contract Now,” university trustees extolled Shepard as their consensus choice from a field of 53 applicants.

Faculty members lately have been increasing their protests over the lack of a contract despite negotiations with the Western administration that began in March 2007.

“There’s always issues going on on campus,” board chairman Kevin Raymond told Shepard and his wife, Cyndie. “But I want you right now to feel welcomed and embraced by us.”

Trustee Phil Sharpe, search committee chairman, said all 53 applicants got a thorough review before they were narrowed to five finalists, but Shepard, chancellor at University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, was the early frontrunner.

“It was clear from the beginning that one name was the one we found ourselves leaning heavily toward,” Sharpe said.

Trustee Howard Lincoln, CEO of the Seattle Mariners, was assigned to negotiate a contract with Shepard. Lincoln described the process as “cordial, unlike some of the contracts for professional baseball players that I am forced to deal with from time to time.”

Shepard won’t come close to the $1 million annual salary of Mariners’ utility man Willie Bloomquist, but at $300,000 per year, he’ll be making more than Morse. She now gets $242,000.

Lincoln said he researched salaries for presidents at comparable universities before he began the negotiating process.

“This contract reflects current market conditions and the cost necessary to bring Dr. Shepard to Western,” Lincoln said.

Lincoln said he thought Shepard would be a powerful advocate for Western’s cash needs in the state capital.

Morse also praised her successor, saying she was wellacquainted with him through her activities in university administrators’ organizations. She said Shepard was among many candidates who contacted her for information about her job, and her chat with Shepard stood out.

“It may have been the best conversation because it was so in-depth,” she said.

When she learned that the board would choose Shepard, Morse said she knew she would leave the university in good hands.

“I think I slept better that night than I’ve slept in a long time,” she said.

Shepard told trustees he has been impressed by the warm reception he has received from students, staff and faculty, “even the ones with placards.”

After trustees took their formal vote to approve Shepard, the placard holders joined in the applause.

In a brief interview afterward, Shepard said he was drawn to Western by its growing national reputation.

“It’s known around the country for the excellence of its faculty,” Shepard said. “They really do believe in the university and they are moving it forward.”

Bellingham’s attractive setting also played a role, Shepard said, noting that he and his wife were dazzled as they drove into town along Chuckanut Drive to check out the community.

“We were sold within a half mile,” he said.

He looks forward to getting involved in the university’s efforts to develop new facilities along the city’s waterfront. He said that project will give Western room to grow while working with the rest of the community on waterfront restoration.

“Part of being an outstanding university is being a faithful steward of the place you call home,” Shepard said.