MU picks research finalists
April 25, 2008
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MU announced four finalists for the vacant MU vice chancellor for research position.
Biochemistry department chairman Gerald Hazelbauer served as co-chairman for the vice chancellor for research search committee. He said because the vice chancellor for research constantly interacts with different constituencies, candidates were also selected based on the impression they made in interviews with the committee and MU Provost Brian Foster.
“The finalists were chosen in terms of their professional accomplishments and their ability to communicate with people,” he said.
Foster said the position is a key university leadership role and serves the MU campus.
“The vice chancellor for research does numerous things, like helping faculty search for grants and promoting research activities,” he said.
He said the position requires the candidate to work with issues such as compliance, undergraduate research, various centers on campus and managing financial projects.
The vice chancellor for research also serves on the staffs of the provost and chancellor and is an important public spokesperson, he said.
“There’s hardly an important decision made on this campus that isn’t somehow linked to this position,” Foster said.
The MU campus alone has more than $200 million in research expenditures, he said.
“It’s a big job for a big operation,” he said.
Hazelbauer said the finalist chosen must be able to convey enthusiasm that university research is important and that education and research cannot exist without one another.
Carolyn Herrington, College of Education dean and co-chairwoman for the search committee, said the committee is hoping to hire someone with broad experience as an administrator at a research university.
“Because MU has such an unusual mix of schools and colleges, we’re looking for someone who has enough experience in the different aspects of getting research grants to help each area,” she said.
Herrington said the committee likely wouldn’t find a candidate with the exact experience they’re searching for, but all the finalists possess the skills necessary to become a member of the leadership team at MU.
The vice chancellor for research is also in a position to work with the different groups that MU interacts with, including alumni, elected officials, civic leaders and the corporate community, she said.
“MU does a tremendous amount of research that impacts the life of Missourians every day, and we want the new vice chancellor to be an articulate spokesperson both on and off campus,” she said.
Hazelbauer said applicants are usually nominated by someone else for higher administrative positions such as that of the vice chancellor for research.
The finalists are University of Kentucky Associate Vice President for Research Chuck Staben; University of California, Davis Plant Genomics Program chairwoman Pamela Ronald; Purdue University senior associate vice president for research Alan Rebar; and University of New Mexico physics and astronomy professor Robert Duncan.
Foster said the finalists will each make an individual three-day campus visit, starting April 29.
“I hope the MU community engages in the process when they come to campus and provide input,” he said.
Herrington said the MU community’s feedback would greatly influence the overall decision by the search committee.
“We’ve gone to great lengths to make these campus visits as open as possible to allow members of our campus community to participate,” she said. “We want to hear from students, faculty and staff.”
The new vice chancellor for research will replace Jim Coleman, who left in September 2007 to be the vice provost for research at Rice University.
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