MSU Board of Governors selects search committee

The Missouri State Board of Governors' search for President Michael Nietzel's replacement is moving forward with Friday's naming of a 15-member search committee and David Glass, owner and CEO of the Kansas City Royals, is honorary chairman.

Glass, who retired as president and CEO of Wal-Mart Stores Inc. in 2000, is an MSU alumnus and lives in Bentonville, Ark. The MSU search committee's chairman is board member Mike Duggan. Other committee members are:

Alumni Jim Anderson, of Springfield, Mike Armentrout, of Kansas City, Gabriel Gore, of St. Louis, and Travis Webb, of Denver, Colo.;

Faculty members Eric Bosch, Melissa Burnett and Pauline Nugent;

Board members Mary Sheid, of West Plains, and Phyllis Washington, of Kansas City;

Administrative council Jim Baker;

Academic administrator Helen Reid;

Staff member Bryan Hicks; and

Student Jacob Swett of Pleasant Hill

"I believe we have a very strong, representative committee to begin the work of selecting the next president of Missouri State University," Duggan said in a news release.

According to the release, a final decision on whether a search firm will be used in the process has not been made. However, in interviews with Springfield Business Journal about the search process, Duggan and board chairman Brian Hammons said the board is committed to using a firm. Board members are in the process of reviewing search firm proposals. If a firm is named in January, its representatives would be part of the search committee's first meeting on Feb. 6.Read more about the presidential search process in the Jan. 11 issue of Springfield Business Journal.