This article first appeared in the St. Louis Beacon, March 7, 2011 - The new president of the University of Missouri system should be an enthusiastic supporter of higher education and possess keen insights into business.
The ideal candidate would know how to manage a large, complex organization and get along well with outside groups.
The best person for the job would embody strong positive values and integrity and nurture an atmosphere that focuses on performance and results.
Oh, yes, whoever moves into the top spot of the four-campus system should know how to balance a public life with a personal one.
Or as Betsy Rodriguez, the system's vice president for human resources, put it at a session on the UMSL campus Monday morning, the search process getting under way hopes to find a president "somewhere between God and Superman or Superwoman."
The forum was the second in a series being held across Missouri as the university's search for a successor to Gary Forsee accelerates. Forsee resigned last year to care for his wife after she was diagnosed with cancer.
University curator Wayne Goode noted that Forsee's skill as a manager and administrator helped him accomplish much of what he wanted done even though his tenure was cut short. With former university general counsel Stephen Owens now acting as interim president, Goode said the school is "not in any big hurry. We have an interim president who knows what needs to be done. The university is in good hands."
Still, the process is on a pretty fast track. After the seven scheduled public forums end next Tuesday afternoon in Springfield, curators will discuss the feedback gathered from the meetings at their March 21-22 meeting in Rolla, then approve a formal list of qualifications. The job will then be advertised, and the search committee will meet in April and May as the names of candidates emerge.
The university also announced Monday that it had retained the search firm of Greenwood/Asher & Associates to help find a new president. It said the consultants working on the search have completed more than 1,000 searches for a wide variety of colleges and other non-profit institutions, and 97 percent of their business comes from repeat customers.
To get the consultants and the university's own search committee started, a list of desired characteristics for the winning candidate was drawn up and shown to Monday's forum.
Besides the wide-ranging attributes in education and business, with complex organizations and varied constituencies, in integrity, values and results, the university is looking for someone who can:
- Show understanding of the university system's role and mission in four basic areas: teaching, research, service and economic development
- Leverage the institution to advance the state of Missouri
- Be a compelling, effective communicator
- Lead with vision
- Think strategically
- Assemble and empower a team of proven leaders
And, noted UMSL Chancellor Thomas George, Forsee's successor will be able to work from a position of strength.
"The president of the University of Missouri system is not coming into a problem," he said. "The president of the University of Missouri system will come into a system that is thriving."
As if that job description weren't daunting enough, members of the search committee then asked members of the UMSL community for advice on what kind of candidates they should be looking for.
Education professor Kathleen Sullivan Brown said that the new president must recognize and appreciate the particular needs of a campus in an urban setting. Business skills are important, she said, but she added:
"An understanding of the historical role of the university in our city is really a key for this person."
For Deborah Burris, who directs the campus office of equal opportunity, another key is diversity.
"We need to be diverse in every aspect of this process," she said. "That's first and foremost. Individuals look at the top of institutions, and they base their opinions on what they see there."
Former state Sen. Joan Bray emphasized the need for someone with "strong academic credentials," and Betty Van Uum, assistant to the provost for public affairs and economic development, added that the new president will have to understand the political realities of the office.
Other speakers said they were hoping for someone who would appreciate the need to get input from staff and faculty when making decisions; someone who would know the importance of new information technology; and someone who would take time to get to know students.
Goode and fellow curator Don Downing told the group assembled at UMSL that they realize the importance of their job in the selection process. "This is probably the most important task that falls to the Board of Curators," Goode said.
Downing added that no one should think that the process is just for show. "We are very open-minded," he said. "We are not coming to this with a preset disposition."
And he closed the meeting by inviting everyone to participate.
"If you think you have the perfect candidate in mind," he said, "nominate them from the floor, or better yet send their names to the committee. We don't want to sit back and let candidates come to us. Don't be bashful."