SEARCH FOR PROVOST IS CONTINUING

A Southeast Missouri State University committee hopes to narrow the search for a new provost to about 10 candidates by the end of this week.

The list of candidates would then be submitted to Southeast President Kala Stroup, said Lenore Bierbaum, dean of the College of Education and head of the 13-member search committee.

Bierbaum said Tuesday that the search committee is scheduled to meet Friday.

It's expected Stroup would then settle on four to six of the prospective provosts, who would be brought to campus for interviews. Bierbaum said it's hoped that such interviews will take place in October or early November, with the selection of a provost occurring by the end of the fall semester.

Bierbaum said the committee will probably not rank the 10 candidates in any order. But she said, "We are only going to give her (Stroup) candidates that we feel are well qualified and are willing to come to campus.

"As a committee, I don't think we will do anything except to say, `These are 10 people we feel as a group are strongly qualified,'" said Bierbaum.

Bierbaum said the university hopes to have a new provost on the job by the spring semester.

"We were more or less given a time line and a charge and have worked within the framework and think it is realistic," she said.

Southeast has received 118 inquiries and 106 applications for the job of provost from educators throughout the nation.

"It is very, very widespread," said Bierbaum. "I know we have one even from Hawaii.

"We have had four or five meetings and we have reviewed applications," said Bierbaum.

The committee, she said, has reviewed the applications "to see which people have the best qualifications."

Committee members have also made some telephone calls in an effort to learn more about some of the candidates.

But Bierbaum said the search process to this point has consisted of reviewing the applications and resumes.

The search committee has made no visits to any of the candidates' current job sites. Bierbaum said some site visits might be made after the interview process.

Southeast is seeking a provost to replace Leslie Cochran, who left this summer to take a position as president of Youngstown State University in Ohio.

Sheila Caskey, dean of the School of Graduate Studies and Extended Learning at Southeast, is serving as interim provost.

The search committee comprises faculty, students, administrators and a representative of the community.

"The intent was to bring in each wing, each constituency within the university and the community," explained Bierbaum.

University officials have said that the departure of Cochran has opened the door for consideration of possible structural changes regarding the provost's office, such as whether athletics should report to that office.

But Bierbaum said the search committee has stayed away from such discussion, concluding it's important to settle on a new provost before considering any changes.

"We thought the time to explore that would be when we have decided who would be best for provost," she said.

Bierbaum said the committee didn't want to recommend any structural changes at this time, fearing they might inhibit the search.