John Jasinski to remain provost of Missouri State for one year, pending board approval

John Jasinski’s position as provost of Missouri State been extended an additional 13 months, pending approval Thursday by the university's Board of Governors.

MSU President Clif Smart made the offer in an April 22 letter and Jasinski immediately accepted.

Jasinski, former president of Northwest Missouri State University, has been provost at Missouri State for two years. He was one of three finalists to replace Smart, who will retire July 1.

The board unanimously agreed to hire Richard "Biff" Williams as the university's 12th president, leaving Jasinski's future at Missouri State up in the air.

Even though Smart extended the offer, he made it clear that Williams was on board. "I can honestly think of no one better suited for this role and I know the incoming president looks forward to working with you."

If approved by the board, Jasinski's new contract term will begin June 1 and run through June 30, 2025.

In an interview Tuesday, Williams — who will arrive in Springfield to start work in a matter of weeks — said Smart has been incredibly helpful during the transition and gave him a heads-up that Jasinski's current contract was coming to an end.

"I spent four or five days and called about 30 people and had nice conversations with deans and with those on the administrative council, with faculty senate officers and staff senate officers and wanted to get a lay of the land about what should happen," Williams said. "From that feedback, it was clear there is a feeling of momentum right now."

Williams said he did not want to take any step that might slow progress.

"Although there are a lot of people on campus that could be interim provost, that would be somewhat disruptive because if you appoint a dean to interim provost then you need to appoint an interim dean and whatever position they vacated you need to appoint another one there," Williams said. "I just heard a lot of positivity from everyone, especially the deans, wanting to extend that (Jasinski contract) for a year and then start a search."

Williams plans to start the national search this fall. His goal is to have a permanent provost in place by July 1, 2025.

The provost is the university's chief academic officer and provides the primary administrative leadership, direction, and evaluation for academic affairs.

In the role, Jasinski will report directly to Williams and continue to be responsible for developing and executing what Smart described in the letter as a "transformation plan for academic affairs."

Jasinski was handpicked by Smart to spearhead a large-scale academic realignment during the past two years, which meant reducing spending by millions, shifting staff and reallocating resources. The most visible element was the merger of two existing colleges into the expanded Judith Enyeart Reynolds College of Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities.

"The amount of work that has been accomplished in academic affairs is just amazing," Williams said. "The faculty, staff and administrators in academic affairs have just done a tremendous job, especially with this realignment and moving forward and serving our students."

Williams said even though Jasinski did not get the university's top job, he has not stopped working. "He did not get the presidency but he's been working hard and so have the deans and I was really impressed by that."

Jasinski spent 13 years as the president of Northwest and questions surrounding his departure in 2022 surfaced during the Missouri State presidential search.

He served as a faculty member, department chair and associate provost before being appointed president.

More: Here's why Biff Williams was unanimous choice for Missouri State University presidency

He has also been a leader at Northwood University, a senior consultant with the American Association of State Colleges and Universities, and the owner of his own consulting company.

“I look forward to continuing to advance Missouri State’s academics in partnership with incoming President Williams and our remarkable leadership team, faculty and staff," Jasinski said. "I’m confident that our community’s teaching and research, along with our commitments to our public affairs mission, will only grow stronger.”

In the letter, Smart outlined Jasinki's compensation during the 13-month extension. His annual salary will be $325,000 as well as the standard health insurance, retirement plan, vacation time and sick leave.

His existing contract, obtained by the News-Leader, was updated in January 2023 and was set to expire June 30 this year. His current salary is $240,000 a year plus a 4% raise last July. He also receives a housing allowance of $3,000 a month.

The MSU Board meets at 1 p.m. Thursday in the Plaster Student Union. The meeting is open to the public.

This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: John Jasinski to remain provost of Missouri State for one year, pending board approval