SEARCH: SEMO WILL FILL THREE POSITIONS

Southeast Missouri State University's administration is in a state of transition, with the university looking to fill three administrative positions.

The university is looking to fill the provost position being vacated by Leslie Cochran, who is stepping down this summer to take the job of president of Youngstown State University in Ohio. Also, the university is searching for a new vice president of student affairs as well as a new assistant to the president, who would handle affirmative action and equal opportunity matters.

The university already has one assistant to the president, Art Wallhausen, who handles a number of administrative duties and serves as a university spokesman.

The search for a new vice president of student affairs is well under way.

Wallhausen said, "The search committee is meeting and has screened the applications."

Caryl Smith, the interim vice president of student affairs who has been leading efforts to restructure the whole division, said 148 people inquired about the vice president position, with 124 of them submitting applications.

Wallhausen said Wednesday that the large number of applications is a tribute to Smith's efforts. "It's a tribute to Dr. Smith, who has really not just relied on advertising but who has gone out and gotten into the national network of student affairs people and gone to conferences and talked to people and encouraged people to apply."

Smith said the 19-member committee, which she chairs, is expected to submit a list of five finalists and three alternates to President Kala Stroup in about a week.

Plans call for each of the finalists to visit the campus in late June or early July, she said. The finalists will be brought here individually, with each to be on campus for two days, meeting with university personnel and participating in an open forum.

Both Smith and Wallhausen said it's hoped a new vice president can be hired by the start of the fall semester. "We would hope to have somebody here around the first of August, but I suspect it could be later than that," said Wallhausen.

But he said, "Barring a failure to reach an agreement on terms and salary and all that, I would expect someone would be available (to start work) by early in the fall semester at the latest."

Smith, who was hired last August to serve in the interim position, is expected to resume her duties this fall as associate vice chancellor for student affairs and dean of student life at the University of Kansas at Lawrence.

Smith said she is expected to resume her duties at the University of Kansas by Sept. 18.

As part of her $76,000 job as interim vice president, Smith has been spearheading the restructuring of Southeast's student affairs division.

That process will move forward this summer, even as the university looks to hire a permanent vice president of student affairs.

Under the restructuring, student affairs will involve two major units student development, including health and international student services; and enrollment development.

New-student relations and admissions and records units that deal with enrollment will be put under control of the student affairs division.

Smith said Patricia Volp, associate dean of students, will serve as assistant vice president for student development. Fred Snider, dean of admissions and records, will also be given a new title and duties. He will serve as assistant vice president and dean for enrollment development.

The plan also calls for setting up a student assistance center in an effort to make it easier for students to obtain information and assistance from the various student-oriented services on campus.

Smith said plans call for the assistance center to be housed eventually on the fourth floor of the University Center.

"We have a whole lot of shifting to do," said Smith. "We have to start the dominoes moving."

As to the position of assistant to the president, Wallhausen said the university has already received over 60 applications.

He said he expects Stroup will appoint a search committee within the next few weeks, with a view toward filling the position by early fall.

The new assistant to the president will fill an administrative post that has been left vacant since the death of Edward Spicer last October.

The search for a new provost is still in its infancy. While the university began advertising the position in trade publications about three weeks ago, a search committee has not been appointed yet, Wallhausen said.

Faculty representatives from the university's five colleges will serve on the search committee. Wallhausen said students, administrators and representatives of other segments of the campus community may also serve on the committee.

Wallhausen said the committee would likely begin reviewing applications in mid-June, although no application deadline has been set.

He said the search for a new provost is expected to take several months. A new provost is not expected to be on board by July 1, the date on which Cochran officially begins his new job.

Cochran's leaving will also result in another personnel move. Cochran's wife, Linda, will be leaving her position as economic development director and part-time business management teacher.

Wallhausen said no decision has been made on whether to fill the economic development position, which is a part-time one. He said he also didn't know if the teaching position would be filled.

But Wallhausen said the university's economic development activities would continue regardless of whether the economic development position is filled.