MSU profs disagree with secret presidential search
1/10/2006 5:37:13 AM
Daily Journal

By ROBBIE WARD


Daily Journal Starkville Bureau


STARKVILLE - The College Board risks alienating and further demoralizing Mississippi State University faculty through its closed presidential search, professors said Monday.


Hours after Institutions of Higher Learning commissioner Tom Meredith spoke to the Starkville Rotary Club about the importance of keeping the presidential search secret, MSU Faculty Senate members voiced amazementthattheir new leader may not formally come to campus before taking the job.


Mark Goodman, senate president and member of the MSU Presidential Search Committee, led the discussion with senate members about gripes professors have with the search. Professors said hiding the new president from faculty until he or she is named will bring the new leader to campus under a shadow of avoiding faculty input.


"The faculty attitude seems to be IHL is going to tell us who the next president is going to be," Goodman said. "Our job is to salute the flag and march to the beat set by the IHL nominee."


MSU President Charles Lee announced in November he will retire when a replacement is named, expected in April. Last week, a 23-member advisory committee was named of faculty, staff, students, alumni, administrators and community leaders.





Board to decide


After the committee selects five finalists, the College Board's search committee will review them along with any added by a consultant hired to assist in the process. The entire College Board will select a leader from a list of about three finalists.


During its Friday meeting, the campus committee will sign an oath of secrecy involving the candidates, Meredith said. The first meeting is expected for focus on organization for the rest of the process.


Meredith said having a secret search that doesn't reveal even names of any candidates for the job helps ensure high quality candidates. He said presidents at other institutions aren't keen on open presidential searches because revealing their interest could get them fired at their existing jobs.


However, Meredith said the MSU community shouldn't worry about the process of selecting a new leader for the university of about 16,000 students.


"I can pledge to you this will be a search of integrity," he told members of the Rotary Club.


Legitimate or not, faculty aren't satisfied with the setup.





Contact Robbie Ward at 323-9831 or robbie.ward@djournal.com.




Appeared originally in the Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal, 1/10/2006 8:00:00 AM, section A , page 2