By MATT PIKE
St. Joseph Post
With a search firm hired the Northwest Missouri State University Board of Regents has now approved its prospectus to give to the firm in its search for a new President.
Board of Regents Chair John Moore says the prospectus is made to convey to candidates and the search firm the type of candidate the board is searching for.
Moore says the prospectus also acts as a marketing piece that will get sent to any prospective candidates. Moore says many people may not know that with a position like this you don't just open the job and people come and apply.
"It's a process where you go out, and there are certainly people that will apply unprompted, but there are a number of people who will be a part of this process where we will seek them out, we being the search firm," Moore tells KFEQ/St. Joseph Post. "That's really where they make their money is they are familiar with and have contacts throughout the industry."
Moore says the prospectus acts as a sort of business card that will get sent out to candidates to show them what the university is searching for in its new President.
Moore says one common theme that stood out from the prospectus is the desire for a President who is willing to be interactive.
"And not all university presidents are, a lot of them do sit in the ivory tower, a lot of them may have even a Nobel prize for this or for that at a large university, or they're very well known in their particular discipline," Moore explains.
Moore says a common theme heard in public input hearings, which played part in forming the prospectus, was the desire for the new President to be out interacting with students and constituents.
Moore says while it's too early to tell how much interest there is in the President job, he does know that through the public hearings people recommended seven or eight candidates
"Some where it was the same name referred by numerous people, those would tend to be people who already worked at the university," Moore says. "We did have some that have previously worked at the university, we had some referrals."
But on the other hand, Moore says.
"We also had a couple of, I would call them anti-referrals, where they said whatever, you do don't hire so and so," Moore says.
The university anticipates announcing its next president in the spring of next year. You can find more information on the president search online