Limbaugh nominated for SEMO regent

Jim Limbaugh will be the next member of the Southeast Missouri State University Board of Regents, pending confirmation by the Missouri Senate.

Gov. Matt Blunt announced Limbaugh's appointment Wednesday, a day after the board selected a new president to replace John Tlapek of Cape Girardeau, whose term on the board expires Dec. 31. Limbaugh, also of Cape Girardeau, will take Tlapek's place on the board, but not as president. Current board member Brad Bedell, of Sikeston, Mo., was chosen Tuesday as board president.

Limbaugh's appointment follows several decades of involvement with the university as a student and a member of the Southeast Missouri State University Foundation and the Southeast Missouri State University Booster Club Executive Committee. Limbaugh received a bachelor's degree in business administration and a master's in teaching from the university.

In Academic Hall's shadow

Limbaugh said the opportunity to sit on the board of regents is one he's been waiting for.

"I have long been interested in the university, and that began as a 4-year-old young person at the campus school, which is the university's former lab school," he said.

Limbaugh also "literally grew up in the shadow of Academic Hall." His childhood home was at 804 N. Henderson Ave., which is now the site of Dempster Hall, he said.

A call to Blunt spokeswoman Jessica Robinson Wednesday afternoon was not returned. However Blunt's office did send out a statement about the appointment.

"Jim Limbaugh's background in financial services and strong support of the university will be enormously valuable as he takes on this important role to further Southeast Missouri State University's mission," Blunt said in the statement.

Limbaugh has more than 25 years in financial services. He currently serves as regional president of Montgomery Bank. He was also the chair of the university's first capital campaign, the New Vision of Excellence campaign.

Tlapek and Limbaugh share a strong friendship, Limbaugh said, and he'll rely on the expertise of Tlapek and board members like Bedell and Ned Matthews of Sikeston for guidance as he starts his term.

"Because I've had some association with the university over the years, I'm hopeful that my learning curve does not take a long time," Limbaugh said.

msanders@semissourian.com

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