In search of the next UM System president, the committee tasked with hiring the next university head executive will host seven forums across Missouri to hear the public’s opinion on qualities it wants in the next president. The university announced the forums Monday through a news release.

This president will serve as the 23rd in the history of the UM System.

“Like the 22 university presidents who have come before, our next leader must be an advocate for public higher education who can work with various constituencies and our four campuses to continue to advance the state and the citizens we serve,” said Warren Erdman, Presidential Search Committee and Board of Curators chairman, in the release.

Erdman said, as a member of the search committee, he is eager to hear Missourians’ thoughts on what they’ll be looking for in the next UM System president.

One of the seven forums will be held from 3 to 4:30 p.m. March 14 in room 208 of the Reynolds Alumni Center at MU. The forums will be recorded and posted to [the UM System presidential search website](umsystem.edu/ps) following each event and are free and open to the public.

Aside from MU, forums will also be held at UM-St. Louis, UM-Kansas City, Missouri Western State University, Missouri University of Science and Technology, the Discovery Center Auditorium in Springfield and at the Delta Center in Portageville.

According to the 2011 presidential search timeline, the public forums will be discussed, and presidential qualifications will be approved at the Board of Curators meeting March 21 and 22. In late March, they plan to advertise the availability of the position. Search committee meetings are going to be scheduled once the candidates originate in April and May.

According to the UM System website, qualifications for the search firm committee include the extent of members’ “off-limit” candidates, its ability to search candidates with different resources and its availability, among other things.