An open forum will be held Wednesday for people to voice their concerns and comments regarding the selection of the next MSU president at the Northwest Rankin High School Performing Arts Building on Mississippi 25/Lakeland Drive in Flowood. The forum will begin at 6 p.m.
Members of the state College Board and the board’s Presidential Search Committee will be present to answer questions and find out what characteristics students, faculty and alumni want in their next leader.
Lee Benoist, a member of the central Mississippi Alumni Chapter of MSU, helped organize the meeting alongside Board Search Committee chair Scott Ross.
“Scott Ross, BSC chair, and Amy Whitten, IHL Board President, individually offered to take time from their personal schedules to meet with us if possible,” he said.
According to Benoist, the forum is expected to draw a large crowd.
“So far, there have been over 100 people that have given a positive response to our invitation,” he said. “I expect quite a few walk-ins also.”
Benoist said the Central Mississippi Chapter represents a large percent of alumni in Hinds, Madison and Rankin counties, which makes the forum especially significant.
“It is important because about 20 percent of all MSU alumni in our state reside in these three counties,” he said. “Over 10 percent of all alumni world wide live here.”
Benoist said the forum is more about alumni being represented and having their voices heard than it is about the geography of those attending.
“We’ve have people from the Delta, the Golden Triangle, Meridian, etc. that have emailed me their plans to attend,” Benoist said.
Fred Nichols, president of the Central Mississippi Alumni Chapter said the forum was created to give a voice to alumni in the Jackson area who couldn’t make it to similar meetings in April.
“It’s an opportunity to speak directly to the board and let them know who we want or specific candidate characteristics people would like to see in the next president,” he said.
Nichols said he is expecting a large turnout at the forum and hopes it will have an impact on how the search turns out.
“The alumni and friends of the university who are not happy with the search process need to voice their concerns,” he said. “I don’t know if they would change [policy] for this selection process.”
Benoist said the forum will accomplish the chapter’s goal to serve alumni in the area.
“We have set a forum that will educate our alumni of the process, give an updated progress report and allow interaction with some of the BSC members,” he said.
For more information, contact Lee Benoist at (601) 605-1209.