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Richard announces appointments to UM system review commission

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Senate President Pro Tem Ron Richard, R-Joplin, announced on Thursday four appointments to the newly created University of Missouri System Review Commission that has been tasked with taking a look at the system’s policies and administrative structure.

The commission was created by Missouri lawmakers last month after the university came under fire for its handling of protests over what some students saw as racism at the Columbia campus last year.

The appointees, all who attended the University of Missouri-Columbia, include:

  • Nel Bredehoeft, a corn and soybean farmer from Alma, Mo. Bredehoeft has a bachelor’s in animal and livestock husbandry from the University of Missouri-Columbia’s College of Agriculture.
  • Renee Hulshof, co-host of KFRU’s radio talk show, “The Morning Meeting,” in Columbia, Mo. Hulshof has a bachelor’s in journalism from the university’s School of Journalism.
  • Dave Spence, chairman and CEO at Legacy Pharmaceutical Packaging, who studied home economics at Mizzou.
  • Michael Williams, a lawyer who is a partner at Williams, Dirks, Dameron, LLC, in Kansas City. Williams is a graduate of the University of Missouri’s School of Law.
Richard
Richard

Members of the commission will be responsible for reviewing the UM System’s rules, regulations, administrative structure, campus structure, auxiliary enterprise structure, degree programs, research activities and diversity programs.

The review will hopefully lead to recommendations of changes needed within the system, Richard said in a release Thursday.

“We conducted an exhaustive search to make sure we appointed some outstanding Missourians from all areas of the state with different backgrounds,” Richard said. “Last year we witnessed a lack of leadership at the UM System’s highest level. The legislature saw the need for objective oversight. This commission will help gain back trust and respect from people across the state.”

The commission is a result of Senate Concurrent Resolution 66, which was sponsored by Sen. Kurt Schaefer, R-Columbia, who is the appropriations chairman.

Schafer said on Thursday that, without some oversight, the future of the UM System was unclear.

“The rules have gotten so out of balance,” Schafer said. “Many poor decisions were made. The commission will serve as an outside voice and give some much needed feedback on how to ensure the long-term survival and growth of the institution.”

The commission will also consist of four other members appointed by House Speaker Todd Richardson, R-Poplar Bluff.

Sen. Richard said his appointees each possess strong experience and expertise in governance, management and understanding of school leadership and instruction. Each also understands the important role the system plays across the state.

Once the review of the system is complete, the commission will be charged with preparing a report for the legislature. The review and its recommended changes will be due by Dec. 31.