The MSU Board Search Committee will make decisions this week that will help the university take one step closer to naming its 19th president.
IHL director of media relations Annie Mitchell said the Search Advisory Committee will meet on Aug. 28 to submit no less than five names of presidential applicants and nominees to the MSU Board Search Committee for possible interviews.
“The SAC is comprised of various MSU constituency groups, including undergraduate and graduate students and is chaired by vice president of student affairs Dr. Bill Kibler,” she said.
David Nagel, president of the Faculty Senate and a constituency group member, declined to comment on the progress of the search, claiming he signed an agreement not to speak to anyone about it.
But West Point mayor and MSU alumnus Scott Ross, Search Committee chair, said the only thing members are asked to be confidential about is names, as it is an open search.
He said the process is set up where campus committees will see the chosen candidate names first.
“From the group of names forwarded by the SAC, the [Board Search Committee] will then select who they want to interview,” Ross said.
The SAC will self-select about seven of its members, one of which must be a student, to serve with the Board throughout the remaining portion of the interviewing process.
According to Mitchell, after interviews, the next step will be for the board to name a preferred candidate who will come to campus for open interviews with all MSU constituency groups, including students.
“At the end of the day, based on how the interviews went and feedback from the constituency groups, the Board will either name the preferred candidate or continue the search,” she said.
Ross said the preferred candidate is the only candidate name that will be revealed, all other finalists will remain confidential.
“Assuming he or she is liked by the campus community, [The preferred candidate] is likely to be the person chosen,” said Ross.
Though nominees will be kept confidential, MSU Interim President Vance Watson has made it clear he will be throwing his name in the hat for the position calling it his dream job in past interviews.
Other highly-speculated names include Mark Keenum, former chief of staff under U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran and Kirk Schulz, MSU vice president for research and economic development.
While names must be kept confidential, Chair for the SAC and MSU vice president for student affairs Dr. Bill Kibler said that he has been impressed with the quality of the applicants.
“Mississippi State University is a well-regarded land grant institution and we attract top quality candidates from around the United States for this position,” he said.
Student Association President Braxton Coombs serves as the student representative on the Presidential Search Advisory Committee. He said his responsibility in this role is to ensure that student concerns, views and qualities desired in the next president are represented in the search process.
“In order to make sure that we select the best possible candidate, I and other members of the search committee are putting forth several hours of our time and tremendous effort to ensure that we give the Institute of Higher Learning a pool of candidates that we feel would continue to move our university in a forward direction,” Coombs said.
He said qualities he would like to see in the future president include a passion for leading the university, a sincere desire to be at Mississippi State and recognition of the importance of local and state relations.
“I would like to see a president that truly represents who we are – the people’s university, Coombs said.