Provost applicant consideration to begin Wednesday

Southeast Missouri State University has received "well over" 70 expressions of interest in its provost position and the search committee will have access to applicants beginning this week.

Hamner Hill, chairman of the search committee for provost, said Parker Executive Search of Atlanta is coordinating the provost search and a nine-member search committee will begin considering applicants Wednesday when members will have access to a secure browser and website with the applicants' materials.

Portia Williams, the search firm representative for Southeast, declined to comment on the search, referring calls to Hill.

Hill said search firms are used to fill most higher-level administrative positions at the university, such as deans, provosts and vice presidents.

"I would guess that we've received well over 70 expressions of interest in the position," he said.

"From what I've seen, we've got candidates from all over the country, and we've got a wide variety of academic disciplines represented," Hill said.

Semifinalists will be determined next week, and committee members and Southeast president Kenneth Dobbins will meet with them Oct. 15 and 16 at Lambert-St. Louis International Airport.

"We'll try to narrow it down the afternoon of Oct. 16, then decide which three or four we want to bring to campus," Hill said.

The committee will interview the candidates at the airport for about an hour, and then meet for about half an hour with Dobbins, Hill said. The committee will act in an advisory capacity to Dobbins, and Dobbins will make a recommendation to the board of regents.

As chief academic officer, the provost is in charge of helping determine the strategic direction of the university, what programs should be strengthened, weakened or eliminated, Hill said.

Personnel decisions, such as tenure and promotions, also fall under the provost's purview, as does resource allocation within the academic division. Southeast has 395 full-time and 177 part-time faculty members and a total of 11 deans and assistant deans, said Ann Hayes, news bureau director.

"In many ways, the provost is the public face of the university for academic matters," Hill said.

Previous provost Ron Rosati left in May to become dean of the Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture in Curtis, Neb. Interim provost is Gerald McDougal, who is normally dean of the college of business.

Hill said Rosati made $158,000 a year and compensation for the new provost is negotiable.

Southeast hopes to fill the provost position in January, Hill said. The search process began in April.

"After the airport interviews, we plan to bring the candidates in early November, and then the board of regents will make its decision and offer," he said.

Along with Hill, committee members are Brady Barke, president's representative; professors Lisa Bertrand, Joe Pujol, Tamela Randolph, Willie Redmond, Karl Suhr, Rhonda Weller-Stilson, representing the deans; and student representative Gregory Felock.

Faculty members were elected by their colleges to serve on the committee.

"Each college has to have a representative or the college would feel left out, because we are a very diverse institution," with many course offerings, Hill said.

"They want a candidate with a broad understanding of where their unit fits into the university," he said. "So far, we're pretty pleased with the pool. The people we know are applicants are good people."

rcampbell@semissourian.com

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