http://www.clarionledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060508/OPINION01/605080305/1008/OPINION

MSU search: College Board wasted money

The bill is in: It cost Mississippi taxpayers $160,000 to help the College Board find a new president of Mississippi State University.

The account to Greenwood and Associates of Florida is still open, so all the bills actually may not be in. The consulting firm did the job for 33 percent of the president's salary plus expenses....

...Hiring a private search firm for such a high-profile job was unnecessary. It was clearly a waste of money at a time when money is so needed in higher education.

But the secrecy of the process makes it worse.

The process was marked by weeks of rumor and insider political jockeying. Taxpayers and general alumni, who support their school with modest contributions, were left out.

It also does not bode well for the future since the board soon will begin a search for a replacement for University of Southern Mississippi President Shelby Thames, who is stepping aside next year....