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Universities name presidential finalists

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Springfield’s two largest universities each announced on Sept. 24 they had selected their presidential finalists, signaling the end of months of search committee work.

Missouri State University named its interim President Clif Smart and Murray State University President Randy Dunn as finalists for the president’s post.

Drury University finalists are: David Manuel, chancellor of Louisiana State University-Alexandria, La.; David McInally, executive vice president and treasurer at Allegheny College in Meadville, Pa.; and David Steele, dean of the college of business at San Jose State University in California.

Drury’s next president will be the 17th for the school, replacing Todd Parnell, who announced in August 2011 his retirement effective May 2013. MSU is working to name its 11th president. The position opened up after the sudden resignation of James Cofer in June 2011, and Cofer now works as a professor in the school’s marketing department.

Joe Turner, MSU presidential search committee chairman and president and CEO of Great Southern Bank, said he believed Dunn and Smart stood out among what he thought was a strong pool of 38 candidates. The school has a goal of selecting its next president by Nov. 1.

Turner said the university is focused on hiring someone who will be able to manage the needs of a diverse constituency and who would be engaged in the community. To avoid hiring someone who might only be in the position for a year, such as Cofer, he said the committee was focused on getting impressions from a variety of sources.

“We did perhaps a little more due diligence than other groups have done. We made what we’d call off-the-list reference calls. In other words, we called people in Murray, Ky., and in Springfield, references that weren’t provided by these candidates,” Turner said. “I think that has helped us to get a better feel for the candidates than maybe we’ve had in the past.”

James Bone, president of Drury’s search committee and founder of Lincoln, R.I.-based Global Compliance Associates, said its group polled faculty, staff, students, alumni, trustees and community leaders to see what attributes they would like to see in the school’s next president. The key characteristics identified were: interpersonal skills and character; leadership and vision; knowledge of finance and management; fundraising ability; and knowledge of higher education operations and the future trends in higher education. The process at Drury began in November 2011, he said, and applications were accepted through June. A total of 65 individuals applied for the post.

“Drury assessed the applicants and whittled the field through phone interviews, candidate submitted videos, Internet video interviews and, finally, the week of Sept. 10, off-campus interviews with five finalists. From those finalists, we chose Drs. Manuel, McInally and Steele to invite to campus,” Bone said in an email.

Bone said the 22-member committee plans to make a final recommendation to Drury’s Board of Trustees following on-campus interviews in the coming weeks, and the board’s final selection is expected to take place during on-campus board meetings Oct. 24–26.

Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce President Jim Anderson, who served on MSU’s search committee and was among the community leaders Drury reached out to concerning its next president, said he felt confident that both schools are focused on choosing community leaders.

At MSU, Anderson said he feels Dunn and Smart are ready and able.

“Both have clearly demonstrated a commitment to community, not only as it relates to the university. People are looking for leadership in the region, as well,” he said.

At Drury, Anderson is not concerned that no candidates are from the Springfield area. “Just because they are not from the area does not mean that they don’t have a strong commitment to the community,” Anderson said, pointing to Ozarks Technical Community College Chancellor Hal Higdon, Springfield Public Schools Superintendent Norm Ridder and former MSU President Mike Nietzel as examples of effective leaders from outside Springfield. “I think certainly in the case of those gentlemen, we saw a strong commitment to the community and leadership in the region.”

Turner said while many people in the community may already know Smart – he served as general counsel at the university 2007–2011 after working as a partner at Strong Law Firm – he acknowledged that Dunn is a new face to many. Dunn has relative experience at Murray State and came highly recommended, Turner said, adding that Dunn was impressive in his preliminary interview.

Turner encouraged the public to attend candidate forums at Plaster Student Union Theater. An open forum with Dunn is scheduled 3:30–4:30 p.m. Oct. 8, and Smart will participate in an open forum 3:30–4:30 p.m. Oct. 10.

“I’ve always believed that Missouri State University is – if not the crown jewel – one of the crown jewels of the Springfield community. I just think this is such an important job, not only for the university, but for the community, as well,” he said.

In addressing the universities’ efforts to name presidents focused on training the next generation of workers and leaders, Anderson referenced a Sept. 18 speech at the Springfield Business Development Corp.’s Economic Outlook Conference where Brian Kelsey, founder of Austin, Texas-based Civic Analytics, said those communities that will thrive in the future would be the ones that integrate education and workforce development efforts.

“The core of economic development today, and going forward, is a qualified workforce,” Anderson said. “It’s all about talent.”[[In-content Ad]]

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