Lincoln University's next president likely will be hired by next March and ready to take over next summer, the school's search consultant told curators and presidential search committee members Wednesday.
The separate meetings marked the official start of the search to find a successor to Kevin Rome, who served 49 months as Lincoln's 20th president before taking the top job at Fisk University in Nashville.
"The beginning of a search process (is) defining the job," Monroe "Bud" Moseley, vice president of the Isaacson, Miller search firm, told curators. "What will this person be expected to do? What outcomes do you expect this person to achieve? What levels of leadership should they demonstrate?"
He noted schools often need different kinds of leadership, depending on their situation.
Before taking applications, Moseley said, he and his staff will create a profile of the characteristics Lincoln wants in its next permanent president.
"I've been here only three months - and I've come to the realization that Lincoln needs real strong, visionary leadership to advance this institution," interim President Mike Middleton told the search committee.
Curator Greg Gaffke said Lincoln's next president will need to find a balance between the Jefferson City community and the school's operations - and will have to like the idea of living in a smaller community, rather than a major city.
Alumni Association interim President Alfred Harris, a 1969 graduate, said the new president will have to "emphasize the (current ethnic) diversity without starving the (historically black university) legacy."
Chief Financial Officer Sandy Koetting said the new president must understand Lincoln's unique diversity is "not typical of the standard HBCU" and actually provides advantages for students and the community.
Curators President Marvin Teer, of St. Louis and a 1986 LU graduate, said with a nearly 50-50 split between black and white students, "Lincoln shows how that can be successful."
Curator Herb Hardwick, of Kansas City, said the next president needs to follow Rome's efforts to redefine and broaden Lincoln's reputation around the country and world. "I think it enhances the university's reputation (to) bring about change that benefits the students," he said.
Curator Winston Rutledge, of Jefferson City - who earned both bachelor's and master's degrees from Lincoln - agreed with Hardwick and others that the next president must "make sure we can interact" with the Legislature, regularly and positively.
Several curators and search committee members said the consultants shouldn't exclude people with a business or non-academic background.
"I think the discussion is good," Middleton told the board. "If you bring in someone without a serious academic background - he or she will miss the critical importance of shared governance with faculty."
Dana Cutler, Kansas City, co-chaired the 2012 search that resulted in Rome's hiring.
"We wanted somebody to come in with fresh ideas and new ways," she recalled. "(Now) we want someone who will be very thoughtful" about continuing things Rome started.
Carlos Graham, Middleton's chief of staff representing Lincoln's staff, said the new president must be a communicator who "can bridge the gap between faculty, staff and students."
Moseley said the search process won't ignore Lincoln's 151-year history, after its founding by Civil War soldiers who wanted former slaves and freed men and women to be able to get a basic education.
Mid-Missourians who want to suggest traits for the new LU president can email them to "[email protected].
Moseley expects the committee will interview candidates in January, and have finalists visit the campus in February.