Chancellor committee still to be selected

Members of the MU community are waiting for the president of the University of Missouri system to appoint a search committee to find a new chancellor.

Brady Deaton took over as interim chancellor on Sept. 1, after the retirement of Richard Wallace. Deaton served as provost before assuming the position. Wallace himself served as interim before taking the position permanently in 1997, following a local search.

System President Elson Floyd, who is responsible for initiating a national search for a chancellor, met with the MU Faculty Council in a closed meeting Thursday to discuss the search.

“Dr. Floyd has said that details regarding the national search would be released at some point in the next several weeks,” said Joe Moore, UM system spokesman.

Here, potential stakeholders in the search weigh in:

Gordon Christensen,

MU Faculty Council Chairman:

“I hope we will follow our formal procedures by conducting a formal search, which will include the solicitation (and recruitment) of internal and external candidates. I hope the search committee will include faculty, as dictated by the ‘Collected Rules and Regulations’ of the university.

“Some people say that conducting such a search is a needless expense when we have a fine person already available to serve. I do not deny that Dr. Deaton has many fine attributes, but if he is the best person, then he will be selected. And if he is not the best person, just think how much better the best person must be!”

Doug Crews, president of the MU Alumni Association:

“As alumni, we’d like to see a permanent chancellor sooner, rather than later, to keep our university strong and growing.”

Brian Laoruangroch, of the Missouri Students Association:

“We would like student representation.”

Barbara Fenske, MU Staff Advisory Council chairwoman:

“We are obviously interested in having the chancellor’s position filled long term, and we look forward to the information President Floyd will release regarding a national search. In the meantime, we are confident in Interim Chancellor Deaton and know that he will work hard to address the issues important to MU staff.”