Mississippi University for Women’s presidential search reached the halfway mark last week, with members of the Campus Search Advisory Committee meeting in Jackson Friday to read applications and cull candidates.
Each of the 20 committee members submitted five names of applicants they felt matched the criteria set forth during the Campus Listening Sessions last month. The five-member Board Search Committee, along with the College Board, is now tasked with narrowing the candidate pool down to five.
The first round of interviews will take place in Jackson between Oct. 19-21 and is scheduled to coincide with the College Board’s monthly meeting.
In the second round of interviews, resumes and background checks will be conducted, and the applicant pool will be narrowed to one preferred candidate.
The preferred candidate will be invited to tour the campus in late fall, giving stakeholders and members of the community an opportunity to participate in a question and answer session with him or her.
The format will be similar to the Campus Listening Sessions, during which various groups — including MUW administrators and department heads, faculty members, staff, alumni and students — were given the opportunity to discuss the qualities and qualifications they feel are most important in MUW’s next leader.
The College Board is conducting the search through Parker Executive Search of Atlanta. Since 2008, two presidential searches have been completed by the board — one at Jackson State and one at Alcorn State.
The College Board hopes to name MUW’s next president by the new year.
The position has been filled by Interim President Allegra Brigham since May, following the retirement of then-President Claudia Limbert. Limbert had held the position since April 2002.
MUW currently enrolls 2,478 students.
Carmen K. Sisson is the former news editor at The Dispatch.
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