NITZSCHKE RESIGNS; DOBBINS IN

Dr. Dale Nitzschke is stepping down as president of Southeast Missouri State University.

The Board of Regents has promoted the school's executive vice president, Dr. Kenneth W. Dobbins, to the top spot. The 49-year-old Dobbins will serve as Southeast's 17th president beginning July 1.

Nitzschke will remain with the school for the next two years in the newly created position of chancellor. In that role, he will oversee the development of the River Campus visual and performing arts school and the Polytechnic Institute.

Nitzschke is taking a $46,000 pay cut. He will make $118,000 in salary and annuity in fiscal 2000 compared to the $164,000 he would have received as university president, school officials said.

Dobbins has a three-year contract as university president. He will receive a salary of $130,000 and a $15,000 annuity for the first year. The salary will be reviewed annually.

The Board of Regents announced the moves at a Thursday afternoon press conference at the University Center.

Nitzschke, 61, said he was stepping down as president to spend more time with his family. "I want weekends off like normal people."

Nitzschke has spent nearly two decades working as a university president at several schools. He said the jobs have left him little time to spend with his wife, Linda, and their five children.

He and his wife still maintain a home in the Cincinnati area.

Dobbins welcomed the opportunity to lead the university. He promised there won't be "wholesale changes" in personnel or the way the university operates.

"We do educate students very, very well, and I'm grateful to be a part of this honorable endeavor," Dobbins told reporters.

In promoting Dobbins, the regents also eliminated the executive vice president position and divided those duties among two new positions.

Dr. Pauline Fox, economic professor and former associate provost, was promoted to the post of vice president for administration and enrollment management.

William J. Duffy, currently associate vice president for finance and administration, was hired as vice president for finance.

Both Fox and Duffy will make $93,000 a year in their new positions.

Dr. Dennis Holt, professor of philosophy and associate provost, will serve as interim provost while the university searches for a permanent replacement for Dr. Charles Kupchella. Kupchella is leaving Southeast to become president of the University of North Dakota.

Nitzschke was an Ohio education consultant when he was hired by the regents as Southeast's president in 1996.

His initial contract was for two years. Last year the regents extended the contract for another three years.

Don Dickerson, president of the Board of Regents, said Nitzschke asked several weeks ago that he be released from the final two years of his contract as president.

Dickerson said Nitzschke agreed to continue serving the university for the next two years in the new position of chancellor.

Nitzschke will spend much of his time raising money for the River Campus and Polytechnic building projects.

As president, Nitzschke has spent much of his time raising money in recent months. "We don't have a better fund raiser in our system than Dr. Nitzschke," Dickerson said.

Nitzschke's salary will be paid by the university. Even though the university's foundation is involved in fund raising, Dickerson said the regents felt Nitzschke's position should be paid by the university.

Nitzschke will report to Dobbins. "We want Dale to report to the president, who reports to us," said Dickerson.

Nitzschke will have an office in Academic Hall and also work out of his home in the Cincinnati, Ohio, area. He will spend a lot of time in Washington, D.C., meeting with officials from private foundations.

Nitzschke also will seek to get federal funds for programs and projects at Southeast, Dickerson said.

Nitzschke's decision to resign as president came as a surprise to top administrators like Kupchella. The provost said he only learned of Nitzschke's decision a few days ago.

The regents made the personnel moves after two lengthy closed-door meetings, one on Friday and the other on Tuesday. The final decision was made Tuesday.

Dickerson said the board decided against conducting a national search for a university president. He said a search would have taken a year and could have cost $150,000 to $200,000.

The regents, Dickerson said, felt the top spot needed to be filled quickly.

The university already is faced with conducting a search for a new provost.

Dickerson said it would have been difficult to get quality applicants for provost while a search for a new president was being conducted.

He said the board unanimously decided to hire Dobbins, who was a candidate for the Southeast presidency in 1996. Kupchella also was a candidate.

Dickerson said Dobbins was among the eight semi-finalists for the job after a national search.

Dickerson said the board didn't feel obligated to conduct a search. The university's policies don't require it.

"We and we alone hire and fire the president," said Dickerson.