State officials Tuesday unanimously approved a white male former state representative to serve as president of Salem State University, but they said they want to ensure that a diverse array of candidates without political connections are given more consideration in the future.

The state Board of Higher Education announced a review of the guidelines given to college trustees who carry out presidential searches, even as it ratified the choice made by Salem State’s trustees to install John D. Keenan as the university’s 14th president.

Keenan’s selection was controversial because, to critics, it fit a pattern of trustees at Massachusetts public colleges and universities turning to well-known local politicians to serve as presidents, rather than outside candidates with more experience in education.

The pick has also taken on larger significance because Keenan will replace Patricia Meservey, who was the only female president of the state’s nine public universities.

In approving Keenan for the job, members of the Board of Higher Education said they did not believe it was appropriate for them to second-guess Salem State’s trustees, who voted 7 to 3 to recommend him for the presidency last month.

But board members pledged to review the guidelines used for future presidential searches to ensure that local trustees are not giving too much weight to candidates who have deep connections to Beacon Hill.

Keenan served as a Democratic state representative from 2005 to 2014, when he resigned to become Salem State’s general counsel and vice president for administration.

His supporters had argued that his experience in the Legislature would help Salem State secure a larger share of state funding in an era of repeated budget cuts.

“I, for one, feel personally that the emphasis on the ability to raise money from Beacon Hill is not a good message — that there’s some kind of a secret handshake,’’ said Chris Gabrieli, the chairman of the Board of Higher Education. “I’m not convinced that’s a healthy dynamic in this state, that each campus has its own line item and there’s a sense that, maybe, if you know the right people, you might do better for your campus.’’

Gabrieli said he believes it’s more important for trustees to consider candidates who can help “modernize’’ the state’s public colleges and universities.

Carlos E. Santiago, the state commissioner of higher education, said while there has been progress in hiring more outside candidates as college presidents, the state “must continue to do everything possible to bring fresh perspectives and diverse leaders into the fold.’’

He said he was troubled that the 7-3 vote by Salem’s trustees broke down along racial lines. The seven white members voted for Keenan, while the three nonwhite members voted for Anny Morrobel-Sosa, a chemist born in the Dominican Republic who had more experience as a researcher, professor, and college administrator.

“I worry that Latino students may read from this outcome that they are less welcome here than they anticipated,’’ Santiago said.

An online faculty survey also showed a majority of Salem State’s professors and librarians supported Morrobel-Sosa for the presidency.

“It is clear to me that the campus is quite divided,’’ Santiago said. “The incoming president will need to build bridges and earn the confidence and trust of campus stakeholders.’’

Indeed, several Salem State faculty had urged the board to reject Keenan.

Elizabeth Duclos-Orsello, a professor of interdisciplinary studies, said his selection favored “personal connections, shared histories, and the potential for success of a white male candidate new to the sector over the unassailable, documented, lifelong higher ed credentials of a Latina.’’

Keenan strongly defended his record on campus and in politics and said he was confident he had the right skills to lead the university.

As a lawmaker, he said, he got more votes from the Point, a Latino neighborhood in Salem, than he did from his own neighborhood. He said he also supported gay marriage, transgender rights, and legal protections for undocumented immigrants who came to the country as children.

At Salem State, he said, he met last year with the “Black, Brown, and Proud’’ movement, a student group concerned about the climate for minorities on campus. As a result of those discussions, he said, Salem State hired its first diversity officer and launched a survey to assess students’ concerns about racial issues. He promised to listen to critics who said he lacks the right credentials and prove them wrong. “The only way I can disprove that, quite frankly, is by doing the job, and doing it well, and that’s what I intend to do,’’ he said.

Michael Levenson can be reached at mlevenson@globe.com.