The search continues for a vice president for academic affairs.

After Dr. Larry Martin retired in 2003, Dr. Betsy Griffin was asked to fill the position until a national search could be held for a permanent replacement.

“We had more than 60 applicants,” said Dr. Terri Agee, vice president for business affairs. “We have narrowed those over the past several weeks to less than 15.”

Dr. Betsy Griffin did apply to keep the position.

Griffin has been with Missouri Southern for 26 years. In that time she was the head of the psychology department for 10 years, was the interim dean of the school of education and was the assistant to the vice president of academic affairs for two years. Agee said an advertisement for the position appeared in September and October editions of The Chronicle of Higher Education.

Agee said the ad has been on the Internet since Sept. 19. The ad, placed by the search committee, calls for an individual with 10 or more years of academic administrative experience.

The ad reads, “The ideal candidate will be innovative, student oriented and skillful in articulating issues both internally and externally.”

The position is the chief academic officer for the University, responsible for programs in the schools of arts and sciences, business administration, education and psychology and technology.

The committee plans to have the candidates narrowed to five or less before the holiday break.

“We want to bring the candidates to campus for interviews after the spring semester is underway,” Agee said.

The on-campus interviews will be extensive; although details have not yet been fully arranged, the interviews will include meetings with students, faculty and staff.

Students will have an opportunity to question the candidates as will other faculty and staff not on the selection committee, Agee said.

The applicants come from various institutions including large and small institutions both public and private.

“I think the broad interest in our campus shows we are a place people want to be,” she said.

The main areas of focus the committee will examine include a vice president who is student oriented and demonstrates academic leadership.

“We want someone who knows what it means to encourage and foster a commitment to excellence,” Agee said.

“We want a candidate who has advised a club that received awards or gone to nationals, someone who inspires students to excel academically.”

The position has a starting date of July 1, 2004.

The benefits are standard to Missouri Southern, however the salary has not been set.

“It will be comparable to the selected candidate’s current salary and will be officially negotiated when the position is offered,” Agee said.