The final four candidates for the vice president for academic affairs have been named.

Dr. Terri Agee, vice president for business affairs, sent out a campus-wide e-mail introducing the four candidates for the position along with profiles and interview schedules.

“We’ve had an excellent search process,” Agee said. “We’re very excited about the caliber of the candidates.”

The candidates include: Dr. Betsy Griffin, Missouri Southern interim vice president for academic affairs; Dr. David Wilson, vice president for academic affairs and dean of college at Culver-Stockton College in Canton, Mo.; Dr. Richard McCallum, associate vice president for academic affairs at Central Connecticut State University in New Britain, Conn.; and Dr. Larry Harris, dean for the college of education at Idaho State University in Pocatello, Idaho.

All in all, Southern received about 60 applicants from around the country and two applicants were outside the United States.

“We had a really good variety of applicants,” Agee said. “We had some from private and public institutions.”

Dr. Larry Martin, Southern’s last vice president for academic affairs, retired in May 2003 when the position was temporarily filled by Griffin. Agee said the candidates excelled in all areas of the screening process in which the VP search committee was looking for.

“All of the candidates have excellent references,” she said. “They are all highly recommended.”

The four candidates will undergo an individual interview process on campus along with a tour of the campus and will have meetings with Agee, University President Julio León and the Board of Governors.

McCallum was the first candidate for the screening process, which was held Jan. 22. Griffin’s interview will be Jan. 29, Harris’s on Feb. 3 and Wilson’s will be Feb. 5.

In conjunction with the tour of the campus and administrative meetings, a student and faculty open forum is also being set up to help the candidates familiarize themselves with students and faculty members.

“I think it’s extremely important to get input from students and faculty and see how the candidates interact with them,” Agee said.

León will make the final decision once all of the candidates have been interviewed and have been through the campus orientation.

Dr. Mark Comstock, accounting department chair and Faculty Senate president, is on the search committee and will meet all the candidates.

“All four of them have excellent credentials,” Comstock said. “Each one appears to be highly qualified.”

Comstock said he thinks it’s important for students and faculty to be able to meet the candidates.

“Students and faculty are important in this process,” he said. “We want them to ask questions and return input.”