The University of Missouri System will announce its new president Tuesday morning.
A committee has been working on the search for the new president for months. Gary Forsee stepped down from the post in January to care for his ailing wife. In a press release, the University says UM Board of Curators Chair Warren Erdman will announce the new leader Tuesday morning. Erdman said last week that the Board of Curators had made a final decision, after interviewing four candidates from a field of more than 100 – but said the official announcement was pending due to final contract negotiations.
This is the e-mail sent out by Interim President Stephen Owens:
Tomorrow morning at 10 we will introduce the 23rd president of the University of Missouri System at the Reynolds Alumni Center in Columbia. I realize that due to your location and work commitments, most of you will be unable to attend—so we will be live-streaming the event from a specially designed presidential welcome site (www.umsystem.edu) where you will be able to learn more about our next president and family. You also will be able to follow the day’s events on Twitter and Facebook.
Following tomorrow’s announcement, the new president will visit our campus in Rolla on Tuesday, and our St. Louis and Kansas City campuses on Wednesday.
Our new president will join us at University Hall in mid-February, and we have much to do before then. So in the meantime I’d like to take this opportunity to thank each of you for all that you do every day to help the University of Missouri uphold its historic mission in a quality fashion. I’ve come to appreciate the many ways our university “Advances Missouri” in so many dimensions—and this is a credit to each and every one of you who make this university so special.
On a personal note, I want to thank you for the support you’ve given me throughout this year as your interim president. I wish you and your families the brightest of holiday seasons and winter break, and look forward to working with you in the new year as we welcome our next president.
Sincerely,
Stephen J. Owens
Interim President
