Members of the public will get their chance to meet with three candidates interested in becoming Missouri State University’s next president.
The university announced times and dates for forums, where the three candidates will be able to discuss their visions and views about Missouri State and its challenges. The three finalists bring a variety of leadership experience.
The forums are part of an interview process that will be conducted by the Missouri State University Board of Governors. The new president is expected to be announced in March, and is anticipated to begin work on July 1.
Each forum on the Springfield campus will be held at 2:30 p.m. in the Plaster Student Union Theater. The dates for the forums are:
- Feb. 15 for Richard Williams. He was the president of Utah Tech University in St. George for 10 years, stepping down earlier this month.
- Feb. 27 for John Jasinski. He has served as provost for Missouri State since 2022, and was president of Northwest Missouri State University in Maryville for 13 years prior.
- Feb. 29 for Roger Thompson. He is vice president for student services and enrollment management for the University of Oregon, serving for 14 years.
The forums will also be streamed live on Zoom for virtual attendees.
Each finalist will also be featured in a separate forum and reception on the MSU-West Plains campus. Those dates are Feb. 14 for Williams, Feb. 26 for Jasinski and Feb. 28 for Thompson. Those forums will begin at 1:30 p.m. in Fowler Lecture Hall.
In addition to the forums, the university will offer feedback opportunities online for people to share their opinions. Those will be available on the university’s presidential search page.
Forty-eight people applied for the position of president, after President Clif Smart announced his retirement last year. A search committee appointed by the Board of Governors chose 11 semi-finalists for interviews, and earlier this month presented four of those to the board as consideration for finalists. One of those four candidates withdrew their name for consideration.
