Mississippi college board sets spring goal to name MUW’s next president ...Middle East

The state college board plans to name the next president of the Mississippi University for Women by early spring 2027.

The board of trustees for the Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning announced the plans Thursday. The board also formed a committee of six trustees to oversee the national president search with support from a search firm that has not yet been selected. 

The search committee members are:

Cunningham said he chose the search committee members in part because of their proximity to MUW, their familiarity with the university and ties to Columbus and the surrounding region. Once selected, the search firm will help develop a timeline and candidate profile incorporating feedback gathered from MUW stakeholders during previous listening sessions, he said. 

The board aims to keep stakeholders updated throughout the process, Cunningham said. A group of MUW alumni and Columbus residents asked trustees to disclose a timeline and details about how the board will conduct the leadership search. Some people have also suggested names of leaders they want IHL trustees to consider to lead the university.

“It always works out better when you can involve the constituency groups in this whole process,” Cunningham said. “They’re a really big part of that portion of the search because they’re boots on the ground on the campus, and they know what’s needed.” 

The board is expected to issue a request for proposals for search firms within the next few weeks, Cunningham said. 

Nora Miller, who had served as MUW’s president since 2018, retired on June 30. Scott Tollison, the university’s former provost and executive vice president of academic affairs, has served as interim president since July 1. 

Read more: Will MUW’s next president be an alumna?

In April, the trustees held listening sessions for MUW stakeholders to gather feedback from the public on preferred traits for the W’s next leader. At the listening sessions, some speakers suggested Sally Burchfield Doty, who graduated from the W’ in 1988 and directs Broadband Expansion and Accessibility of Mississippi. Doty, who lives in Brookhaven, also served in the state Senate from 2012 to 2020. 

In August, the Citizens Coalition for MUW and Mississippi School for Mathematics and Sciences sent the college board a letter endorsing another alumna, Doris Taylor of the class of 1977, who is a biotechnology researcher. 

Neither suggestion makes Doty or Taylor an official candidate in the search. Candidates must apply for the role to be considered.

Coalition chairman Bruce Hanson said the group will continue to engage alumni, students, faculty and the community to become involved in the leadership search process. 

 “We will continue to work on strategy to ensure the best candidate gets the job and can support our region and institutions and our community at large,” Hanson said. 

While the group endorsed Taylor as a potential candidate, a national search can open up the possibility for additional strong candidates to lead the university, said Keith Gaskin, former mayor of Columbus and coalition member. 

Gaskin said he wants trustees to move quickly with the search process because he’s grown weary of recent legislative proposals and discussions about merging MUW with Mississippi State University and moving the Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science, a residential school for gifted high school juniors and seniors, to Starkville. But it’s important to find the right pick for MUW’s next leader, he said. 

“My hope is that we find a strong leader who can support and serve this region,” Gaskin said. “That’s the most important thing that matters to me.” 

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