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<font size="4" face="Tahoma">UPDATE:MSU Faculty Senate ask for new search</font>
<font size="2" face="Tahoma">10/23/2008 6:14:14 PM
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<font size="2" face="Tahoma">As the state College Board convenes today to discuss the search for a president at Mississippi State University, the school's Faculty Senate has asked for a new search.
"There's a perception among some faculty that some qualified individuals did not apply for the presidency out of deference to our sitting president," said Dr. David Nagel, the Senate's president, referring to Dr. Vance Watson, who was interim president and a search finalist until he resigned and retired Monday.
"Now that he's out of contention, the process should be reopened," Nagel said late Thursday after the request was faxed to the College Board, which oversees operations at the state's eight public universities.
The vote was 32 yes, 4 no.
Whether the higher education trustees will heed that request won't be clear until later today.
West Point Mayor Scott Ross, a College Board member and chairman of the MSU search, has said he prefers not to reopen the search and to work with the current finalists, even if in the end, none gets a majority of the 12-member board.</font></p>