A POLICY OF OPENNESS IS BEST

The search for a new president of Southeast Missouri State University moved into full swing this week. A 24-member search committee has been organized and has already met to lay the groundwork for the process that is expected to last several months. Along the way, the committee will provide suggestions for the professional consultant that has been hired by the university's regents.

One good sign as the search committee held its first meeting was the openness of the get-together. Confidentiality will play an important role in the overall process, but when the committee meets to discuss ground rules and directions, the public will be better informed by access to up-to-date information.

In addition, the selection process would benefit most from a policy of openness when the final candidates are chosen. In the process that selected Dr. Kala Stroup as the university's most recent president -- she has since become Missouri's commissioner of higher education, the finalists were announced. In the recent selection of a new city manager for Cape Girardeau, the finalists also were announced.

Announcing the finalists serves several useful purposes. For one thing, it allows whoever make the final decision, regents or council members, an opportunity to get feedback from a wider group. It also allows individuals who haven't been directly involved in the selection process to gather information on their own and provide reaction for the benefit of regents and council members.

In the important decisions that will be made during the selection of a new university president, giving administrators, faculty members, students and the public as much information as possible will result in the best possible choice. That is what everyone wants, right?