Southeast provost to step down in December

Southeast Missouri State University provost Jane Stephens will step down from her position in December.

University president Dr. Ken Dobbins announced her retirement in a letter to university employees Tuesday. Stephens was named provost in 2000. She worked for Southeast from 1978 to 1994 as a history professor and in the Office of the Provost. She served as executive vice chancellor at the University of South Carolina-Spartanburg before returning to Southeast.

During her tenure, Stephens has worked on establishing the University Press, opening the River Campus and establishing regional campuses in Sikeston, Mo., Kennett, Mo., and the Higher Education Center in Perryville, Mo.

She said she was most proud of the renovation of Kent Library, which made the facility more suitable for technology, she said.

"You have to be able to access the information and know how to sort down the information you can use," she said.

She said her biggest remaining challenge is determining Southeast's role in the movement to establish a junior college in Cape Girardeau. A coalition of business leaders released a study last month, which highlights the need for a community college in the area.

"I think we'll be a major player in whatever is agreed upon," she said. "Certainly we will be providing classes for students either with partners or the university itself."

Dobbins said the formation of a search committee has started and will be complete by commencement. He said he hopes to have the final review of candidates in the fall.

"It's going to be a very difficult position to fill," he said.

Dobbins said he hopes to use an outside search firm to aid the hiring process.

abusch@semissourian.com

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