The search for a new president to take the helm at Alcorn State University will get underway soon and the state college board wants involvement from the community.

Trustees will conduct a listening session Oct. 2 and College Board members want to hear from faculty, students, staff and others about what they want in a future president to replace Alfred Rankins who was named higher education commissioner.

The listening sessions will be held in the Gold Room on the second floor of Clinton Bristow Jr. Dining Hall on the Lorman campus and will take place from 1 p.m. and is expected to conclude around 4:45 p.m.

Students will have the opportunity to speak to the trustees from 1 p.m. to 1:45 p.m., followed by faculty and staff from 2-2:45 p.m.; administration from 3-3:45 p.m., and alumni and the community from 4-4:45 p.m.

A similar search and listening session to find a new president at the Mississippi University for Women will take place Sept. 14 in Columbus.

College Board spokeswoman Caron Blanton says trustees have not yet appointed search chairs or campus advisory committees. They also haven’t yet decided on whether they will conduct full national searches or appoint new leaders without such searches.

“I hope that all students, faculty, staff, alumni and community members at both universities will join us and share with us the type of leader they want to lead their universities,” Shane Hooper, chair of the Board of Trustees, said. “We are committed to identifying the best individual to lead each of these universities.”

We agree that staff, faculty, alumni and the community should have a say-so in the next leader at ASU and we encourage all of you to attend the listening sessions. That person will certainly have some big shoes to fill in Dr. Rankins, who was named Commissioner of Higher Education in March and began as new leader over the university system July 1.