FIVE VIE FOR SEMO VP POST

The search for a new vice president of student affairs at Southeast Missouri State University has been narrowed to five finalists.

The finalists are: Henry A. Gardner, vice president for student affairs at Virginia State University in Petersburg, Va.; SueAnn Strom, assistant vice president for student affairs at Mankato State University in Minnesota; Larry H. Dietz, associate vice chancellor for student affairs at the University of Missouri-Kansas City; John H. Schuh, associate vice president for student affairs at The Wichita State University in Kansas; and Linda D. Koch, vice president for student affairs and dean of student affairs at Lock Haven University of Pennsylvania.

Each of the finalists will make a two-day visit to the Southeast campus to meet with university officials, personnel and students. They will also meet with the 19-member search committee.

While here, open forums will be held with each of the finalists at Crisp Hall Auditorium, said Caryl Smith, interim vice president of student affairs who has been heading up the search.

The search committee reviewed 124 applications and submitted the names of eight applicants to Southeast President Kala Stroup.

Smith said that the five finalists were selected from the group of eight.

Gardner will visit the campus June 18-19, with an open forum to be held at 2 p.m. June 19 at Crisp Hall Auditorium.

Strom will be here June 22-23, with the open forum to be held at 2 p.m. on June 23.

Dietz will visit the campus June 25-26, with an open forum to be held at 2 p.m. June 26.

Schuh will be here June 29-30, with an open forum to be held at 2 p.m. on June 30.

Koch will visit the campus July 2-3, with an open forum to be held at 2 p.m. on July 2.

University officials have said they hope to have a new vice president on board by the start of the fall semester.

The finalists come from schools both larger and smaller than Southeast, said Smith. The Wichita State University has an enrollment of 16,700; Mankato State University has about 16,500 students; the University of Missouri-Kansas City has 11,300 students; and Lock Haven University and Virginia State University each have an enrollment of about 4,000.

"I am very impressed," Smith said of the finalists. She called them "outstanding members of our profession."

Smith said that while on campus each of the finalists will hold a meeting with students.

Melissa Knapp, who will be a senior this fall, is one of three undergraduate students serving on the search committee. There is also a graduate student serving on the committee.

Knapp said the meetings with students will allow student leaders and students in general to talk with the candidates.

"We definitely want the students to come to this and ask as many questions as possible," she said.

She acknowledged it will be more difficult to get students to attend such meetings because fewer students are on campus during the summer.

Still, Knapp said, it's important that the candidates meet with the students. "I want them to be very student-oriented."

Said Knapp, "I want these people to be as student-oriented as possible, and in order to do that they have to have input from the students to begin with."

She said she is interested in their administrative philosophies. "Of course, being a student, I want them to know the students are why they are here."

She said student input is doubly important because the university is in the process of restructuring student services this summer.

"It should be an interesting school year," said Knapp. "I am very excited about it."