Missouri Western administration hopes to have a final decision for a new Dean of the Steven L. Craig School of Business following a candidate’s campus visit on Jan. 29.

The fourth candidate, Phillip Nitse, professor and former chair of the Idaho State University College of Business, was invited to interview with key members of Missouri Western’s administration. With the Steven L. Craig School of Business in the process of accreditation with The Association of Advanced Collegiate Schools of Business, candidates were asked to give a presentation to students, faculty, administration and members of the community on the challenges of AACSB schools and how to address them.

“We wanted to give students, faculty and members of the community an opportunity to provide feedback to the committee,” Cynthia Heider, associate provost and vice president for academic and student affairs said. “We strongly encouraged everyone to attend the presentation by each candidate.”

Interim Dean of the Steven L. Craig School of Business, Carol Roever, announced her retirement last July, allowing the university a year to find the her replacement. Immediately following, a committee was formed to begin the search for her replacement. The eight-member committee includes representation from the faculty of the Steven L. Craig School of Business, external faculty members, the St. Joseph community, as well as administration.

“All positions are important; however, we wanted to make sure we had all representation across campus,” Heider said. “We identified individuals that could provide leadership, input and direction.”

Although the committee was put together to find the right candidate, according to Kylee Strough, vice chair of the board of governors and search committee member, the committee does not make the final decision.

“We will meet again as a committee following the fourth candidate’s visit to discuss weaknesses and strengths, as well as pros and cons,” Strough said. “The search committee’s decision is purely a recommendation, administration makes the final decision.”

Phillip Nitse, the fourth candidate for the Craig School of Bussiness Dean, presents information on AACSB accredidation

“It would be nice when the accreditation team is here to say we have a new Dean,” President Robert Vartebedian said. “We are hopeful the fourth time is a charm.”

According to Strough, despite the business school’s position with the accreditation process, the committee will not propose a final candidate selection to administration until they are confident in their decision.

“We don’t want to hire anyone just to say we did it, we want longevity and the right fit,” Strough said. “We will not sacrifice the quality of a Dean.”

According to Heider, a July 1 appointment date for a new Dean is still expected, despite a candidate withdrawal late in the interview process. The candidate pulled out of contention following a campus visit for unknown reasons, resulting in the committee’s search for a fourth candidate.

“We originally decided to start small but we knew we may need to bring in five or six candidates,” Strough said. “The whole way along we weren’t set that we would find perfection in the first three candidates.”