June 13, 2008
TO: Mississippi State University Faculty and Staff
Below is an update from Dr. Tom Meredith, Commissioner of Higher Education regarding the Mississippi State University Presidential Search. Dr. Meredith has committed to provide periodic updates to the University community about the search.
Sincerely,
Bill Kibler
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Vice President for Student Affairs
Chair, Presidential Search Advisory Committee
Message from Commissioner Meredith to the MSU Community
Dear Mississippi State University Family,
I want to update you on the search for your next Mississippi State president.
Recently, I announced the names of those who will serve on the Search Advisory Committee; you can find that list here: http://www.mississippi.edu/newsstory.asp?ID=614. Dr. Bill Kibler, Vice President for Student Affairs, will serve as Chair of the Committee. The Committee represents individuals who were nominated by their respective constituency groups to review all candidate resumes and recommend no less than five names to the Board of Trustees for consideration. In addition, a number of members from the Committee will join the Board and participate throughout the entire interview process.
During its last meeting, the Board of Trustees approved Mr. Jerry Baker of Atlanta-based Baker and Associates, LLC, to serve as the Board's search consultant. This decision was reached after a far-reaching request for proposals. Mr. Baker has served as an executive search consultant since 1976, and has extensive experience at institutions similar to MSU. You can learn more about Mr. Baker here: http://www.baasearch.com/team.htm.
The next step in the process includes the first meeting of the Search Advisory Committee, scheduled for Friday, June 20th. During this meeting, search consultant Jerry Baker and I will brief the Search Advisory Committee regarding their important role. Mr. Baker will also outline his process for building an outstanding pool of candidates.
Periodically, I will send you updates so you will know where we are in the process. Additionally, you can always visit the search website, http://www.mississippi.edu/ieo/msu_search.html, for the most up-to-date information.
Please don't hesitate to contact me by emailing commissioner@mississippi.edu, or Board of Trustees Search Committee Chair Scott Ross at board@mississippi.edu, if you have any questions or comments. I know we all share the same goal--"to find the best possible person to lead Mississippi State University.
I'll keep you posted!
Sincerely,
Dr. Thomas C. Meredith
Commissioner of Higher Education