Missouri State University is closer to selecting its next president.
The university’s Board of Governors will hold a special meeting on Jan. 17 to choose a number of finalists. An announcement of those finalists is expected later in the week.
According to an update posted on the university’s website, 48 people applied for the position of president, from which President Clif Smart is retiring after 13 years.
Eleven of those applicants were chosen for semi-finalist interviews with a search committee. After a round of interviews at a Kansas City hotel near Kansas City International Airport, four candidates were chosen as finalists, according to the update.
The semi-finalists held diverse backgrounds in race, age, gender, geographic region, professional backgrounds and size of the institutions where they have worked.
“The search has been tremendous,” said Rob Fulp, chair of the search committee. “We have had excellent, high-quality candidates.”
The lineup of final candidates will be reviewed and formalized during the special meeting Wednesday. Missouri State University hiring officials are running reference and background checks on the recommended finalists, according to the statement from university.
Each candidate will visit the Springfield campus for a two-day interview process, which will include a drive east to visit the West Plains campus. The interviews with finalists are expected to be conducted in February, and will include sessions for the public to participate.
