Curators plan LU presidential search

The soldiers memorial located in the quadrangle at Lincoln University.
The soldiers memorial located in the quadrangle at Lincoln University.

For the third time in 13 years, Lincoln University is launching a search for a new president - after both LU and Fisk University announced Thursday Kevin Rome will become Fisk's 16th president on July 1.

"My colleagues and I on the board will get together and form a search committee," LU Curators President Marvin Teer told reporters Friday. "I've been on the board and many of my colleagues have been there - we know this process. It's not terribly unfamiliar.

"So, the sooner we get started, the better."

The curators' next meeting is scheduled for April 20, although they can schedule another meeting if they want.

Teer said he'd like it sooner than April 20, which is about 3 weeks from now.

Rome began his work as Lincoln's 19th president in June 2013 and will have served four years and a month when he leaves for Fisk, another historically black university (HBCU) that began teaching in 1866.

"It was an extremely difficult decision for me and my family," Rome said, "because there are so many great things here, and the school, I believe, is going in the right direction."

But Fisk, which has been led by an interim president since September 2015, presented an opportunity he couldn't pass up, Rome explained.

"It's such a historic institution," he told reporters. "If you look at HBCUs, there are about 10 what we would consider 'elite' HBCUs - and it's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be in a position to lead one of those."

Teer said Rome's tenure mirrors the current national average.

"I would much rather have someone who stays for the long-term rather than the short-term," he said. "But, believe it or not, the national average across the country for university presidents is about the life span of a football player - about three years."

So Rome's staying four years is not unusual at all, Teer said.

Still, he's hoping Lincoln's presidential search in 2017 finds "someone who wants to make Jefferson City and Lincoln their home for awhile. I would like us to take our time.

"I'm not going to rush through this process - I want to find the right person who wants to be here and lead Lincoln into the next generation," he said.

The last two LU searches involved a local committee comprised of faculty, staff, alumni and community representatives working with a company specializing in national searches.

The national company takes care of the advertising and serves as a clearinghouse for the applications, while the local committee does the final interviews and makes a recommendation to the curators.

Using that process again or do something different is one of the first decisions Lincoln's curators must make in searching for Rome's successor.

"We'll get with all of our true partners, from alumni to members of the community - both elected officials and citizens - and students as well," Teer said.

"The first thing will just be trying to just draft whatever our game plan is going to be - making sure we're well-prepared whenever we start that process."

Another quick decision will be who heads the university while the search is underway.

Connie Hamacher, who headed the nursing program, was tabbed as the interim president between Rome and his predecessor, Carolyn Mahoney.

And, in many cases around the country, the interim is chosen from among the school's existing administrators or senior faculty. But it also isn't unusual to bring in someone from the outside.

"We haven't really made those determinations yet," Teer said Friday. "I'm not really sure which is our best course.

"I'm going to talk with my colleagues and see what they think are their thoughts - and we'll get together and we'll find, I think, the right person to at least keep the status quo, and manage our ship for this short period of time."

The curators have the final, ultimate say in who is hired, both for the interim and for the next permanent president, who will become the 20th president in LU's now 151-year history.

"We'll be fine," Teer said. "We've been here 150 years; we'll be right here 150 more."