6 'student curator' hopefuls to interview

The names of the remaining applicants have been kept in secret.

By Jedd Rosche

Published April 17, 2007

The search for a new student representative to the UM system's governing body shrank to six finalists after a preliminary review of candidates. The finalists received letters securing their spots in the next round of interviews.

Intercampus Student Council Chairman Nicholas Koechig said ISC has narrowed the candidates down from 12 applicants to six hopefuls who could be the next student representative to the UM system Board of Curators starting in the fall.

The UM system is comprised of MU, UM-St. Louis, UM-Kansas City and UM-Rolla. The next student representative will be from MU.

The governor appoints a new student representative to the position every two years, choosing from one of three student candidates nominated by ISC. The candidacy rotates through each of the four UM system campuses.

Although the student representative lacks voting power on the nine-member board, the position is the only mandated student representation and is included in all curator discussions, including closed meetings.

Koechig confirmed that ISC shortened the list of candidates after nominee applications were due April 4.

"We were looking for an individual to accurately represent the 63,000-plus students of the UM system," Koechig said.

All applicants were informed whether they advanced to the next round via mail this week and last week.

Secrecy enshrouds the identity of the six possible candidates after three ISC members refused to release the names of the finalists on Monday.

ISC produced a news release Monday night that stated some of the details of the representative selection process and reaffirmed its commitment to keep applicants "confidential throughout the application process."

Missouri Students Association President Rachel Anderson, a member of the council, said ISC agreed not to distribute personal information of candidates when each person applied.

"The process is very confidential," Anderson said. "It is a highly competitive decision."

Although non-ISC students don't have the power to vote on the next student representative, Anderson said distributing their names to the media could affect the objectivity of the voting process or the ultimate decision of Gov. Matt Blunt.

"We do not want any students to have an advantage or disadvantage in the process," Anderson stated in an e-mail on Monday. "And reporting of names on who did or did not receive an interview could largely hamper that."

The ISC news release also stated that the next round of interviews will take place on April 29 on the MU campus, and afterward, the interviewers will narrow the applicant pool to three candidates.

As to what ISC is looking for in an ideal candidate, current student representative to the board, Maria Kerford, said she wants an accommodating replacement who has a history in leading people.

"We are really looking for leadership experience," Kerford said. "The person must be flexible and works well with others."

Kerford is a graduate student at UMSL.

Kerford, a member of ISC, said there is no specific timeline for the group to turn in the three final candidates to Blunt.

She said the process would go along as quickly as possible to ensure the new representative would have enough time to adjust to his or her duties.

"The governor has not set a deadline, but we will try to have our decisions made by the first week of May," Kerford said. "We want to give the person we chose time to calibrate himself or herself."