Vice Chancellor for Research Finalists Announced

Posted April 22, 2008

COLUMBIA, MO - The co-chairs of the University of Missouri Vice Chancellor for Research search committee, Carolyn Herrington, dean of the College of Education, and Gerald Hazelbauer, chair and director of the Division of Biochemistry in the College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources and the School of Medicine, have announced the finalists for the vice chancellor for research position.

The four finalists are:

• Chuck Staben, associate vice president for research and professor of biology at the University of Kentucky.
• Pamela Ronald, chair of the Plant Genomics Program, director of the Grass Genetics and Joint BioEnergy Institute, and professor of plant pathology at the University of California, Davis.
• Alan Rebar, senior associate vice president for research, executive director of Discovery Park and professor of clinical pathology at Purdue University.
• Robert Duncan, chief operating officer for the New Mexico Consortium of Universities, founding director of the Institute for Advanced Studies at Los Alamos National Lab, and professor of physics and astronomy at the University of New Mexico.

“We are very pleased with the quality of the candidates and are working to find the best person to continue the University of Missouri’s research excellence,” MU Provost Brian Foster said. “Last year, MU scientists and scholars had more research expenditures than at any other time in the history of the university.”

The candidates have been invited to campus, and the campus community will have an opportunity to interact with the candidates at open forums during their visits. Each candidate will make a presentation on the topic, “Opportunities and Challenges in University Research.” The campus visit dates for each candidate are:

• Chuck Staben: April 29 – May 2
• Pamela Ronald: May 5 – May 7
• Alan Rebar: May 6 – May 8
• Robert Duncan: May 11 – May 13

Following the visits, the search committee and Foster will have extensive discussions covering the candidates’ strengths and weaknesses.

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MU News Bureau: http://munews.missouri.edu/news-releases/2008/0421-vice-chancellor.php