The Institutions of Higher Learning appointed a five-person search committee Friday to help pick Mississippi State University’s 19th president. Led by West Point mayor and MSU alumnus Scott Ross, the committee will meet with various Mississippi State constituency groups on campus April 28, according to an IHL news release. IHL Commissioner Tom Meredith will also help facilitate the meeting.
Other members include MSU alumni Ed Blakeslee and C.D. Smith, Aubrey Patterson and Robin Robinson.
University provost Peter Rabideau said he was pleased that three of the five committee members are MSU alumni.
“That being said, I would be comfortable with any of those board members serving on the committee,” Rabideau said. “I think being an alumnus of the institution may bring a little more passion to the table.”
The purpose of this meeting is to allow the search committee to draft a job description for the next president based on recommendations from the MSU community.
“I personally think experience as a university administrator is important,” Rabideau said. “Obviously leadership [is important] as well, but clearly good leadership will mean getting the campus community onboard and behind Mississippi State initiatives.”
Senator and College of Forest Resources professor Lou’s D’Abramo voiced concerns about the upcoming conference during Friday’s Faculty Senate meeting.
“Not to be pessimistic, but we did that for the last search and we gave them what we wanted in terms of a president, characteristics and so forth … and they gave us the antithesis of what we asked for,” D’Abramo said.
Foreign languages professor Robert Wolverton said the process represents a departure from the 2006 presidential search.
“I would like to go back to the old system where we could have the final three candidates come get to know the campus,” Wolverton said. “It always worked before.”
The revised January IHL policy states specifically that the “preferred candidate” will spend a full day on campus meeting with various members of the university community but the initial candidates will not be allowed to visit the campus and field questions.
Media relations director Annie Mitchell said the board’s confidential policy allows for the best possible candidates to surface.
“[The board keeps] the names of candidates confidential because it allows for the best possible pool of candidates based on current search trends in higher education,” Mitchell said. “The current policy brings just the preferred candidate to campus.”
A search advisory committee will also be formed to assist the Board of Trustees in the search process. According to the revised policy, this committee will be composed of faculty, students, staff and outside representatives. Additionally, a subset of that group will be utilized to assist the board during the remainder of the interview process.
During the meeting, Wolverton said Meredith assured him earlier in the week that what happened in 2006 wouldn’t happen again.
“The one thing Tom told me he was not going to have happen … was to have one day a preferred candidate identified and the next day the preferred candidate on campus,” Wolverton said Friday. “Once they have identified [the preferred candidate] … [that name] will be let out a week before they visit so that people can find out something about [the candidate]. So at least we won’t be flying blind – bad analogy, I know.”
Rabideau said he agreed that the 2006 situation felt rushed.
“Everything seemed sort of sudden last time around,” Rabideau said. “I think [the IHL will] take some steps to soften that a little bit.”
Interim President Vance Watson took office April 1, making it clear according to news reports that he will be throwing his name in the hat for president.
“My sense is that there is a pretty strong feeling that Dr. Watson will be a strong candidate for the position,” Wolverton said.
Other possible names for the position include Mark Keenum, former chief of staff under U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran, and Kirk Schulz, MSU vice president for research and economic development.