Vice President of Administration and Finance Mike Barnett is leaving Metro State to accept a similar position at Fort Hays State in Kansas, Interim President Ray Kieft announced last week.

"Metro is losing a talented and committed colleague and he will be missed," Kieft said in an all-campus e-mail.

For Barnett, the Fort Hays position represents an opportunity to return to his roots. Barnett graduated from Fort Hays State and grew up in a small town nearby. "I prefer the size of the community that Fort Hays is in and the quality of life that it offers," Barnett said, noting that Hays, Kansas, has only about 20,000 people.

As vice president of administration and finance at Fort Hays State, Barnett will have similar responsibilities to those he's had at Metro and also will be responsible for the facilities and physical plant.

After 11 years in the banking business, Barnett came to Metro 13 years ago as director of student accounts, cashiering and student loans. "The opportunities I was given here were tremendous," he said. "The institution itself has grown substantially since I started in 1991. I made a lot of new friends and I've seen a lot of good people come and go."

Barnett's last day at Metro is March 31, and he starts his new position April 5.

To replace Barnett, Kieft is seeking nominations of individuals to serve in Barnett's position on an interim basis.

"Nominees may be faculty or administrators currently employed at the college or nominees may be individuals currently not associated with Metro. Former faculty or administrators, retired faculty or administrators, emeritus faculty or administrators, and faculty or administrators formerly with other institutions, who would be able to serve, should be considered as potential nominees," Kieft wrote in an e-mail to the campus community.

Nominations should provide a brief description of why the person is qualified. Self-nominations are welcome and those nominating someone else are asked to first obtain permission of the individual.

Nominations should be e-mailed to Kieft at rkieft@mscd.edu by March 22.