SEMO TO COMBINE TWO FOUNDATION POSITIONS

Southeast Missouri State University and the school's foundation won't fill a key fund-raising position until the university hires a new president.

Meanwhile, Don Ford, who has battled bone marrow cancer, has resigned as director of development for Southeast.

Ford underwent two bone marrow transplants in the past 15 months. The second transplant occurred last month.

His ordeal has left him physically too weak to hold down a permanent job.

"I have had enough damage to my back that it is just not realistic," said Ford, who was the school's development director for five years.

Since May 1994, he had been unable to work much. He returned to his job part time for about three months last summer.

Dr. Robert Foster, the foundation's part-time executive director and a former president of the university, will retire at the end of March.

Ford's job was funded by the university and Foster's is paid for with private funds.

The university and the foundation wanted to hire someone to handle both men's duties as associate vice president for development and executive director. The university and the foundation would share in funding the position.

The decision to put a temporary halt to the search came after the two finalists for the fund-raising job withdrew as candidates.

"Both believe that a move to Southeast without meeting the next president would be very risky," said C. Michael Dambaugh of St. Louis, chairman of the Southeast Missouri University Foundation.

Southeast's Board of Regents is currently heading up a search for a permanent replacement to former university president, Dr. Kala Stroup. She resigned last year to take a job as Missouri commissioner of higher education.

The decision to halt the search was made by foundation officials; Dr. Bill Atchley, Southeast's president; and Dr. Ken Dobbins, the school's executive vice president.

H. Weldon Macke, vice chairman of the foundation, said it makes sense to delay the search since the fund-raiser would have to work closely with the president. "If you couldn't work together, you would have a hard time raising money," Macke said.

"If I want to give a million dollars, who do I want to talk to? I want to talk to the president of the college."

The development and foundation offices may be restructured, school officials said.

Macke said the delay in filling the position and the other personnel changes won't hurt fund-raising efforts. "There is still a staff of about four down there that have been at it for a lot of years," Macke said.

Macke said the foundation's executive committee can help direct fund-raising operations until the new position is filled.