Education news in brief

Drury University narrows presidential search
The field has narrowed in Drury University’s search for a new president. During a March 14 meeting, Drury’s presidential search committee trimmed the original pool of about 80 candidates to a final group of 10 presidential hopefuls.
Committee Chair John Beuerlein said in a Drury news release that the 10 candidates will have face-to-face interviews with the committee in early April. The group will then be narrowed to four or five; selected individuals will get second interviews. Following the second round of interviews, three finalists for the position will be selected. Those finalists will visit the Drury campus in May. The committee will announce a sole candidate to the Drury University Board of Trustees at the board’s May 12–13 meetings.
The new president will succeed John E. Moore, who has been with the school for 22 years and plans to retire in May.

Legislator introduces higher ed funding act
Speaker Pro Tem Carl Bearden (R-St. Charles) has introduced House Bill 742, the Higher Education Student Funding Act. According to a news release from the Missouri House of Representatives, the bill would increase the accountability of higher education institutions and establish a new system of funding colleges and universities.
“Missourians are asking state agencies to do more with less throughout state government and higher education institutions are no different,” Bearden said in the release. “As our colleges and universities strive to create an atmosphere of excellence in higher education, we must ensure that administrative costs are held to a minimum so that dollars can be spent directly on the task of funding students in the classroom.”
The bill would change the current distribution methods for higher education by establishing a new, impartial formula that rewards higher education institutions for attracting new Missouri students and incorporates new elements of performance measurement into the funding formula.
The new funding formula would become effective only after higher education institutions receive funding that is equal to or more than the level that was appropriated to them in state fiscal year 2002, the largest appropriation for higher education in Missouri history. The bill also would provide an incentive for effective and efficient management of higher education institutions in order to attract and retain Missouri students.

OTC landscaping program achieves accreditation
The turf and landscape program at Ozarks Technical Community College received initial accreditation from the Associated Landscape Contractors of America. The accreditation continues for a three-year period. According to Cindy Hinds, director of public relations for OTC, students in the program are working with Hammons Field staff on landscaping projects at the baseball stadium.

SMSU signs Baker to two-year contract
Jim Baker, Ph.D., who has served in the president’s office at Southwest Missouri State University since 1993, has been signed to a two-year contract as vice president for research and development. The new contract, in effect March 1, runs through June 30, 2007.
In his new role, Baker will advise the university president on matters pertaining to university wide externally generated grants and contracts, including obtaining resources for research and economic development through technology transfer, intellectual property, regulatory compliance and federal regulations. Baker also continues to serve as chancellor of SMSU’s research campus in Mountain Grove, and coordinator of the university’s China programs. He also will serve as chair of the SMSU System Coordinating Council, have overall responsibility for broadcast services operations, serve on the advisory board to the Center for Applied Science and Engineering, and head the Jordan Valley Innovation Center management team.
Baker’s contract includes a salary of $125,000 through June 30, with a monthly car allowance and other benefits. His salary for the 2005–06 school year will be consistent with the increase implemented for all SMSU employees.

Drury’s Joye Norris leaves dean position
Joye Norris, dean of Drury University’s college of graduate and continuing studies, is stepping down from the position and will be succeeded as dean by accounting professor Ken Johnson. Norris, who came to Drury in July 2002 from Dodge City Community Col-lege in Dodge City, Kan., will remain as a faculty member with Drury.
Johnson, an associate professor of accounting at Drury, was 1991–2003 president of Rochester College in Rochester, Mich., where he remains president emeritus.
Parkview students win invention competition
Four physics students at Springfield’s Parkview High School have been recognized for their report on the automatic window defroster – a theoretical invention – and are in the running for top national honors. Parkview sophomores Megan Vonstrohe, Michael Robbins and Henry Olive, and junior Hope Carpenter won the 2005 Toshiba Exploravision regional competition.
According to a news release from Springfield Public Schools, a Toshiba representative was in Springfield March 17 to present plaques to the students, who demonstrated their invention.
The students are members of Stephanie Blake’s physics class. They now advance to Toshiba’s April 15 national competition against five other teams. The two finalists of that competition will win a trip to Washington, D.C., to meet President Bush. Toshiba will develop the winning inventions.

SMSU adds industrial management options
The Southwest Missouri State University Board of Governors in February approved five new degree options for the department of industrial management in industrial distribution, food processing, computer-aided drafting, quality control and production. According to an SMSU news release, students who pursue these degree options will complete a foundation of management, technical and engineering coursework, preparing them for careers in the food processing, distribution, automotive and pharmaceutical fields.
“Industrial management students presently enjoy some of the highest starting salaries on the SMSU campus,” said Shawn Strong, Ph.D., head of SMSU’s industrial management department, in the release.
“As we look ahead over the next 10 years, we want to ensure that this remains the case. All of the new option areas are projected to be growth areas, which will guarantee that industrial management majors will continue to have multiple, high-paying job offers upon graduation.”
The additional options were created partly through collaborations with several departments at SMSU, including agriculture, marketing, management and computer information systems.

SMSU elects board officers
Southwest Missouri State University’s Board of Governors elected new officers during its March 18 meeting. Michael Franks was elected board president, succeeding Barbara Burns. Other officers elected are: Mary Sheid, vice president; Kent Kay, treasurer; and John McAlear, secretary.
Franks is the director of strategic planning and communication for Lamar-based O’Sullivan Industries. He recently was chair of SMSU’s presidential search committee. Franks was appointed to the board of governors in 2001; his term expires Jan. 1, 2007.
Sheid is the owner of Physical Therapy Specialists Clinic Inc. in West Plains and Mountain Grove. She was appointed to the board in 2002. Her term also expires Jan. 1, 2007.
Missouri Gov. Matt Blunt in February appointed Gordon Elliott, CPA, to the board to replace Burns, who completed her second term on the board.
Senate Bill 98, which authorizes SMSU to change its name to Missouri State University Aug. 28, also stipulates that the board of governors should be expanded from eight to 10 members. Nine voting members will be representatives of each of Missouri’s nine congressional districts. There also will be one nonvoting student member.

Accounting firm creates Drury scholarship
Springfield-based accounting firm Whitlock, Selim & Keehn has announced its plans to award an annual scholarship to an accounting student at Drury University. The first recipient is to be selected this spring, according to a Drury news release.
Eligible students must be:
• Juniors or seniors with declared accounting majors;
• Enrolled in 12 or more credit hours per semester;
• Hold a grade point average of 3.0 or greater on a 4.0 scale; and
• Show promise of success and leadership characteristics, illustrated through participation in professional and extracurricular activities.