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August 7, 2008

Contact: Jennifer Hollingshead

Office: (573) 882-0601

Email: hollingsheadj@umsystem.edu

UMKC chancellor search committee selected

University of Missouri System President Gary Forsee has named a search committee that will interview candidates for the chancellorship of the University of Missouri-Kansas City and provide a short list of unranked recommendations to the president. The 16-member committee includes representatives from the faculty, staff, student body, administration, alumni and the community.

The committee will be co-chaired by UMKC Curators' Professor of Music James Mobberley and UMKC Board of Trustees Chair-Elect B. John Readey III, who is a partner at Bryan Cave LLP. Forsee will ask the committee to consider candidates with strong academic credentials.

The new chancellor will be tasked with continuing the campus' long-range master plan, positioning UMKC to play an important role in life sciences, establishing the campus as a first-rate urban university and providing leadership and vision that involves the entire Kansas City community.

"The University of Missouri-Kansas City is one of the great urban university campuses in the country, and the new chancellor will continue to build on this reputation," said Forsee. "I appreciate the willingness of the search committee to undertake the important task of recommending finalists for the position, and I thank the co-chairs and members for their willingness to perform this important task."

The university community will have an opportunity to meet the finalists before the president makes a final selection.

Members of the search committee include (in alphabetical order):

• Lynda Bonewald, Curators' Professor and Lee M. and William Lefkowitz Professor: Oral Biology and UMKC School of Dentistry
• Chris Brown, Associate Professor: Counseling and Educational Psychology, School of Education
• Damon Bryant, Vice President of Marketing and Creative Services: WDAF-TV4 and Vice President of UMKC Alumni Association Board of Directors (presumptive president-elect)
• Doug Buchanan, Associate Vice Chancellor for Human Resources (also serves as staff support for search committee)
• Karen Dace, Deputy Chancellor for Diversity, Access and Equity
• Gary Ebersole, Professor and Chair of the Department of History and Director of the UMKC Program in Religious Studies; Chair of the UMKC Faculty Senate
• Bridgett Johnson, UMKC Student (Pre-Law): President, UMKC Student Government Association
• Lora Lacey-Haun, Dean: School of Nursing
• Pellom McDaniels III, Assistant Professor: Department of History
• James Mobberley, Curators' Professor of Music: Conservatory of Music and Dance and co-chair of the committee
• Anthony Persechini, Professor: Division of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, School of Biological Sciences
• Jeanette Prenger, Founder and President: ECCO Select
• John Readey III, UMKC Board of Trustees Chair-Elect, Partner at Bryan Cave LLP, and co-chair of the committee
• Michael Strait, Director of Academic Assessment: Institutional Research Assessment and Planning, and President of the UMKC Staff Council Board
• David Welte, Attorney and Partner: Bryan Cave LLP
• David Russell, Chief of Staff: Office of the President, University of Missouri System (ex officio)

The new chancellor will succeed former UMKC Chancellor Guy Bailey, who left the role in July to become the president of Texas Tech University. Leo Morton is serving as interim chancellor. He is not a candidate for the permanent position.