MEMORANDUM

            TO:                 The University of Southern Mississippi Community

            FROM:           Robin Robinson, Chairman, USM Board Search                                     Committee
                                    Thomas Meredith, Commissioner         
                                   
            DATE:            February 26, 2007

            SUBJECT:     USM Presidential Search Update

We promised to give you updates on the search process and this memo is for that purpose.

We were extremely pleased with the pool of candidates for this presidency.  The USM Search Advisory Committee (SAC), working with the search consultant, did a wonderful job in narrowing down the list of candidates that were forwarded to the Board Search Committee (BSC).

The BSC followed closely the thoughts of the SAC in determining who would be invited to the first round of interviews.  Those interviews were held last Friday and Saturday in Jackson.  Participating in the interviews were the BSC, the Commissioner, the search consultants and the elected representatives from the SAC, plus the chair of the SAC.

Each member of the BSC and the representatives of the SAC received a notebook filled with information on each candidate interviewed.  The BSC asked questions of each candidate and then turned to representatives of the SAC for their questions before turning back to each candidate for their questions.

After the interview of each candidate, the representatives of the SAC were asked to give their thoughts on that candidate to the BSC.  This input was extremely valuable.

The next step, as outlined in the process at the onset, is the referencing phase.  The BSC and the representatives of the SAC will hear the results of the referencing and then the BSC will narrow down the list in determining who will return for the final round of interviews.  This final interview stage, held before the BSC and the representatives of the SAC, will be extremely important.  Again, the representatives of the SAC will be involved in asking questions of the candidates and then giving feedback to the BSC.  Other members of the Board of Trustees will likely join in this round of interviews.

A final meeting will then be held with the full Board of Trustees and representatives of the SAC.  After a final round of discussions, the Board of Trustees will determine the preferred candidate who will come to campus for a full day of interviews.  This day on campus is scheduled for April 5, 2007.  At each interview session on that day, those present will have an opportunity to ask questions and then give comments to the Board.

At the end of that day, the Board will review these comments and, coupled with all they have learned from earlier processes, will make a decision regarding the ninth president for the University of Southern Mississippi.

To state what has been said before, this Board of Trustees is committed to bringing the best possible president to the University of Southern Mississippi.  The input from the campus constituents, the SAC and the representatives of the SAC is making this possible.

cc:        Board of Trustees
            Dr. Jan Greenwood