Mo. Press Association bids farewell to Floyd

By Michael Sewall

Published Feb. 16, 2007

Outgoing UM system President Elson Floyd addressed the Missouri Press Association with a farewell to the media Thursday at the Governor's Mansion in Jefferson City.

"This was an important group for him to visit with," UM system spokesman Scott Charton said. "During the four years of his presidency, the members of the MPA have been very supportive."

The MPA was founded by Missouri editors and publishers to serve its nearly 300 members.

Betty Spaar, publisher of the Odessa Odessan, introduced Floyd to the group of journalists as "a wonderful ambassador for the state and our school."

After giving a speech about his tenure as president and his relationship with the media, Floyd fielded questions from the MPA.

"These publishers have become good friends of Dr. Floyd's," Charton said. "He's been in their newsrooms and printing plants."

Charton said it is a relationship of mutual respect between the press and Floyd.

"He believes he has brought a change in the culture in terms of openness and transparency," Charton said.

Charton cited Floyd's surprise move at the press conference as an example of the transparency Floyd has built with the media.

After all questions were asked, Floyd noticed the issue of the Lewis and Clark Discovery Initiative had not been brought up.

"He went back and brought up the MOHELA sale," Charton said.

The sale referenced is the proposed partial sale of assets of the Missouri Higher Education Loan Authority.

Floyd said the proposed health sciences center, which would be funded by the sale, "will focus on treating cancer and teaching future health care professionals."

Floyd said the proposed structure would not house medical research laboratories.

"This should clear away any question about whether stem-cell research would occur in a University of Missouri structure paid for with proceeds from the Lewis and Clark Discovery Initiative," Floyd stated in a news release.

Floyd said teaching future healers and battling cancer are missions that were always intended to be part of the new structure.

Floyd announced his resignation as UM system president Dec. 13 when he decided to take the job as the president for Washington State University.