UNIVERSITY SEEKS INTERIM VICE PRESIDENT

Southeast Missouri State University officials are looking for an interim administrator to handle the combined duties of vice president of student services and dean of students for the coming academic year.

The administrator would also serve as a consultant in helping the university frame the direction of student services for the coming decade, said Art Wallhausen, assistant to the president at Southeast.

University President Kala Stroup said she hopes to fill the position within the next 30 days.

Stroup said she is looking for a professional in the student services field who has just retired or would take a leave of absence from a major college or university for one year to handle the administrative duties here.

"There is no formal search process here," explained Wallhausen. "This is a case of the president locating the best person she can find that is willing to do this for a year."

The move was prompted by the recent resignation of Thomas Lovett, dean of students.

Lovett is the second administrator within the student services division to resign within the past year. The position of vice president of student services has remained unfilled since July 1990 when Thomas Risch, who held the position, resigned.

With the fall semester starting later this month, Stroup said there's not sufficient time to conduct an exhaustive search for a student-services administrator.

"Right now, it's too short a time frame to really run a search," she said.

By hiring an interim administrator, university officials will have more time to decide on restructuring of student services.

"I would like to have a clearer sense of what is going to be the best for the institution," said Stroup, who has expressed a desire to upgrade student services since taking office as president last July.

She said she has already talked to several individuals who have expressed interest in the interim position.

Stroup said the opportunity to help restructure student services and "shape a direction for the campus" should interest a number of professionals in the student-services field. Another drawing card, she said, is simply the "change of scenery" that such a job would provide.

Wallhausen said Stroup wants to hire an experienced administrator. "She is not looking for a first-job situation. She is looking for a person who has a number of years of experience in the whole area of student services."

Wallhausen said the interim administrator will not be a candidate for the permanent student services position.

The interim administrator will be in charge of student services, ranging from dormitories to career planning, food services to student life programming, said Wallhausen.

"Student Government has been interested in having students' interests represented by a vice president-level person," he pointed out.

Student Government, he added, will be involved in helping to shape student services.

The future direction of student services has been in question for a year now, said Wallhausen, and an internal study of student services, initiated during the last school year, has not been completed yet.

Wallhausen said the hiring of an interim administrator is a good move. "I think it will be a real advantage to us to be able to tap someone else's experiences and bring a fresh perspective to this campus."