Story by Destinee Marking, Senior writer
Faculty and staff had the opportunity to express what qualities they want the next president of Murray State to have during a Presidential Search Committee forum on Nov. 12.
Lisa Rudolph, chair of the committee, referred to the forum as the first step, and an important step, in
the search.
“It’s critical, we feel like as a committee… we embrace your perspectives to help us identify the most qualified and talented person to lead the university forward,” Rudolph said.
One quality faculty and staff said they would like to see in the next president is someone who is invested in Murray State.
Jeanie Morgan, adviser to student government and student organizations, said this is a current problem the University faces.
“We do not have someone that really cares about Murray State,” Morgan said. “We don’t have someone that is invested in this University, and maybe that’s what we need to look at.”
Todd Hill, professor of music, said the president should be hired from within.
“We need someone who understands Murray State,” Hill said. “We need somebody who understands Murray. We need somebody who understands the Purchase.”
Hill also expressed concern about how many presidents Murray State has had in a short amount of time.
“I’ve been here for four or five presidents in 13 years,” Hill said. “I think if we have that kind of overturn, we have a problem.”
Additionally, Tressa Ross, coordinator of the College of Education and Human Services Recruitment and Retention Center, said there is a need for someone who respects faculty and staff.
“I feel and I think there are many of us that feel like we have not been valued, and we need to be valued because we work hard,” Ross said. “I would appreciate having a president that values us.”
Renee Compoy, representing the Women’s Faculty Caucus, pointed out Murray State has only had one female president and said the caucus is asking for representation to be a special consideration in the search
for president.
“Our caucus has been disappointed with the lack of female leadership or leadership of diverse backgrounds,” Compoy said.
Another characteristic faculty and staff want to see is the ability to build relationships with the Murray State community, as well as within the city of Murray.
Gayle Rogers, wife of mayor-elect and former Murray Independent School District Superintendent Bob Rogers, spoke about using relationships to recruit students.
“We need someone who works very closely with superintendents, counselors and principals to sort of get these kids interested in Murray State from freshman level on,” Rogers said.
Roslyn White, associate director for African American Recruitment, compared choosing the president to students choosing Murray State.
“One of the things we have to figure out for this next president— are they the right fit for us?” White said.
To accomplish what needs to be done, White said this person must connect with the community.
“We need someone who’s familiar with fundraising, who’s familiar with recruitment, who’s familiar with working with all facets of the University, someone who either has a love for Murray State like we do or someone who can come to love Murray State like we do because this is a special place,” White said.
Kathy Callahan, chair of the department of history, said she has worked at a number of higher education institutions and the best presidents she has worked with are those who spend time in the community fundraising and working with alumni every day.
“The best president I ever worked with was the one who’s never on campus,” Callahan said. “I would really like to see a president who is able to raise money fervently, as well as bring our alumni back in because they have really walked away in the last four years, and it concerns me.”
Sandy Miles, professor of human resource management, summed up everyone’s comments.
“It’s really clear from everybody that’s been talking, it’s about relationships,” Miles said. “An ability to build, develop and nurture relationships with various stakeholders, from alumni to students to faculty.”
During the forum, several faculty and staff repeatedly brought up Interim President Bob Jackson as a candidate for the next President of Murray State.
Rudolph said faculty and staff should encourage all viable candidates to apply and the committee will consider all applications objectively.
The Presidential Search Committee is comprised of Rudolph, Katherine Farmer, Randal Wilson, Marion Hale, Heather Roy, Dan Kemp, Tim Miller, Don Tharpe, J.T. Payne and Steve Powless.
An additional forum for students will be held on Nov. 28 at 4:30 p.m. in the Curris Center Theatre.