FOSTER WILL SERVE AS AN ASSISTANT TO BLUNT

BOLIVAR -- Former Southeast Missouri State University president Robert Foster will be stepping down as interim president of Southwest Baptist University on Monday.

But he will remain at the private school for 90 days as a special assistant.

"I have agreed to do that to help with the transition," Foster said. "So I will be there through March."

Foster said he's looking forward to working with the new president, Roy Blunt. Blunt, 42, will assume the post when his term as secretary of state ends Jan. 11.

"Roy and I have been good friends for several years," said Foster, whose family has ties to the Baptist school.

Blunt also has ties to the school, having graduated from Southwest Baptist in 1970.

Foster assumed the post of interim president in early December. He served as Southeast's president from July 1989 to July 1990, and in administrative roles at the university for nearly 25 years.

Foster has remained involved with the university, serving as executive director of the Southeast Missouri University Foundation, the institution's fund-raising arm.

He has continued to serve as executive director even while holding the job of interim president at the Bolivar school.

Since accepting the job of interim president, Foster and his wife have resided in Bolivar, but Foster said Cape Girardeau remains their home.

He said he intends to be back in Cape Girardeau by the first part of April.

Foster said he wasn't surprised at the short tenure of his administrative duties at Southwest Baptist.

"It is going fine. There are a lot of good people here, but they really need a permanent president so they can start moving forward," he said.

The school has been without a permanent president for two years.

Foster said that as special assistant he will deal with accreditation issues and some reorganization matters.