The UM System Board of Curators called a special meeting Thursday and Friday in Kansas City to orient new curators and reconfigure some committees.

Typically, nine curators from across the state of Missouri make up the board, which serves as the governing body of the four-campus System. The board is undergoing a transition of members. Because Gov. Jay Nixon is [in the process of appointing new members to the board](https://www.themaneater.com/stories/2011/5/6/nixon-withdraws-columbia-representatives-curator-n/), only eight curators were present at the meeting.

“The Missouri Senate confirmed two curator nominees, Curators Steward and Cupps, during the recently concluded session of the Missouri General Assembly,” Board Chairman Warren Erdman said. “There remains two vacancies.”

Thursday was the first meeting where [Don Cupps of Cassville](http://www.umsystem.edu/curators/members/cuppsd) and [David Steward of St. Louis](http://www.umsystem.edu/curators/members/stewardd) voted as official members of the board. For this reason, they spent the first several hours of Thursday’s meeting in an orientation session.

“It has been recognized for some time as a best practice to have new board members participate in an orientation early in their term so they can gain a better understanding of the institution,” Erdman said. “The orientation is conducted only for the new members of the board by the system staff and is designed to introduce them to the university and answer their questions as they begin their terms in office.”

Cupps told The Maneater in January that he is looking forward to serving on the board until 2017.

“I have a great love for the university,” Cupps said. “I think being a part of the University of Missouri community gives you a sense of how important it is to the state of Missouri.”

The Presidential Search Committee, which consists of members of the board, met to further discuss the process. UM System spokeswoman Jennifer Hollingshead said more than 30 applicants applied for the job by the May 9 deadline. Barred from releasing any of the candidates’ names because of confidentiality promises, the board remained mostly quiet when asked about the search.

“The board became acquainted with the initial candidate pool and will continue to review other nominations at the June board meeting,” Hollingshead said.

The board also voted to merge the Governance and Resources and Planning committees into the Governance, Resources and Planning Committee. This board is made up of three curators, in addition to Erdman and interim System President Steve Owens.

The primary responsibilities of this committee will be to ensure a sufficient orientation process is enacted for all new curators, overseeing the timing and process of the board’s self-assessment and encouraging curators to participate in in-service education opportunities. Other duties of the committee include ensuring the board adheres to its rules of conduct and reviewing the Board’s bylaws, rules and regulations regularly.

“The Committee’s role in planning includes leadership leading to the annual establishment and assessment of goals and priorities for the University of Missouri System and its campuses and the intermediate-term strategic planning (three to five year time horizon) and longer term environmental forecasting for the University of Missouri System and its campuses,” the amendment to the board’s Collected Rules and Regulations states.

Curator Judith Haggard [is serving as the chairwoman of this committee](https://www.themaneater.com/blogs/live-blog-january-2011-board-curators–2011-jan-26/2011/1/27/haggard-appointed-chair-two-committees/), as it is suggested that this position is filled by the last Board of Curators chair.

The curators adjourned their meeting Friday a little less than a month before they reconvene June 16 to 17 in Columbia for their annual meeting.