Aeriel Niccum | Staff Reporter
Posted June 26, 2014; 8:30 a.m.

A search committee of nine directors has been formed to assist in the search for Lindenwood’s new president come President Evans’ retirement this upcoming May.

According to Chairman of the Board of Directors Jim Shoemake the members are as follows:

• Jim Shoemake, Chairman of the Board of Directors
• John Hammon, Treasurer of the Board of Directors
• Grace Harmon, Secretary of the Board of Directors
• Dr. Mike Conoyer, Physician, Midwest ENT Centre
• Doug Mueller, President and Founding Shareholder, Mueller Prost PC
• Nancy Calvert, Alumna ’61, Communications Consultant
• Duane Flowers, President, Bass-Mollett Publishers, Inc.
• David Cosby, Director of Advancement, Ninos de Mexico
• Gary Shaw, Managing Director, Wells Fargo Auditors

According to Shoemake those selected exhibit an immense amount of loyalty to Lindenwood as well as a dedication to doing what is best for the university and not for themselves. Shoemake feels the selected will be able to provide invaluable experience and knowledge from both the business and academic worlds.

The next step in the process, according to Shoemake, is the selection of a consulting firm.

“We have interviewed three consulting firms who specialize in searching and consulting colleges and universities in the academic world,” said Shoemake. “We’ve determined which will advise us, we just need to work out a few of the terms of the agreement.”

According to Shoemake the next step is in the hands of the consulting firm. The consulting firm is expected to conduct a national search of applicable candidates and then narrow the down the pool of candidates to between ten and fourteen. Those candidates will then be interviewed and the field once again narrowed to approximately three or four candidates. Those candidates will then receive more in-depth information in regards to what is expected of them as well as discuss what the new president would expect of the Board of Directors.

Pending those interviews the search committee will then recommend a specific candidate to the Board of Directors for the Board to approve the hiring of that particular individual. Assuming the candidate is hired, the terms of the contract are then completed and the president’s authoritarian powers and limits are discussed.

Only the best of the best, according to Shoemake, are being considered.

“I want a star,” said Shoemake. “We [the search committee] are looking for somebody that has what we think is the requisite background to lead a university of the size and mission statement of Lindenwood University. That means they have to have, in my opinion, a high level of intellect, a high level of energy, a high level of dedication to the process, and above all a high level of dedication to the betterment of the students at the university. We don’t want somebody who’s in there who’s oblivious to the students and they come third or fourth instead of first. At Lindenwood the students come first and that’s what we want to continue.”

According to Shoemake all possible candidates who meet the committee’s expectations, including women and other minorities, will be considered.

“It’s a lot of work, but we’re going to try to do it right,” said Shoemake. “We’ll stub our toe here and there, but the intent is to do it as well as we can for the benefit of the university. It is our firm desire that the person whom we select is a star, as I said, and whose paramount objective and goal is to do those thing that are beneficial and in the best interest of the student body.”