Honesty, integrity and a commitment to excellence are the aim of a search by a recently formed committee of Missouri Southern faculty.

The committee, chaired by Dr. Terri Agee, vice president for business affairs, is mounting the search to find a new vice president for academic affairs.

“I think it is going to be a very successful process,” Agee said.

She said an advertisement for the position appeared Sept. 26 in The Chronicle of Higher Education. The ad will also appear in the next edition of the chronicle, which is published weekly.

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 job description for the position also gives supervisory authority over the honors program, the institute of international studies, the library and the lifelong learning center.

“Applications are coming in,” Agee said. “To be honest, I haven’t even looked at what’s there.”

She said an official review of the applications received is tentatively scheduled to take place Nov. 15, and the interview process will begin in January or February.

“It’s a similar schedule to 10 years ago, which was the last time we had a search,” Agee said.

She said the committee is looking for an individual with excellent oral and written communication skills.

“We’re going to make sure during the interview process to give students an opportunity to meet with candidates and ask questions,” she said.

Dr. James Jackson, professor of biology, has been teaching at the University for 27 years.

Jackson said the selection of a vice president is an important matter for Southern.

“It’s like being involved in choosing the rest of the faculty for years to come, because this person has the most influence on faculty hired,” Jackson said.

He said the position will be difficult to fill based on those individuals who have held the position in the past, referring to Dr. Larry Martin and Dr. Eric Bitterbaum.

The position’s job description also calls for what committee members refer to as “a vision for academic excellence.”

“I hope we look for characteristics like forward thinking, an individual who is academically inspiring,” Jackson said.

Dr. Mark Comstock, president of Faculty Senate and professor of business is also a member of the selection committee.

Comstock said the University has been blessed to have people in that position who have put the institution first.

The 10-member committee is comprised of a representative group of faculty and administrators from across campus.

“I’ve seen the impact each individual has had on the institution,” Comstock said. “We just want to continue the tradition of excellence.”