Stating that he wants to be a part of Metro's future, Interim President Ray Kieft announced Wednesday that he has decided to submit his credentials and a letter of interest for the position of president.

In an August 4 campus-wide e-mail, Kieft explained that he is responding affirmatively to nominations for him to be president that have been made to the Presidential Search Committee.

"The experiences of the past year have caused me to want to be the president of Metro," said Kieft, "and be engaged with you in what I believe will be an exciting, rewarding and challenging future."

Kieft was named interim president in August 2003. In February, a petition signed by more than 200 faculty and staff calling for the Board of Trustees to appoint Kieft president was submitted to the Board. Later in spring, the Presidential Search Committee did receive more than one nomination for Kieft to be president. The BOT announced in May that it was extending the search until the fall semester.

Neither BOT Chairperson Bruce Benson nor John Buechner, chair of the search committee, were available for comment.

To read Kieft's August 4 e-mail go to

http://www.mscd.edu/~collcom/@metro/tw@metro_vol2/Kieft_%20email.doc