2013 in Review: Bruce Speck era at Missouri Southern is over

(From June 2013- this was published two weeks before the Joplin Globe and other media outlets had the story.)

Missouri Southern State University sources indicate President Bruce Speck cleaned out his office and is looking for greener pastures after narrowly avoiding getting fired by the Board of Governors last week.

After Speck reportedly missed getting fired only because of a changed vote, he was given a laundry list of changes that he would have to make if he wanted to stay in his position through the end of his contract in 2015.




Seeing the handwriting on the wall, Speck began to clean out. University officials, on the record, are only saying that Speck is going to be gone for several weeks.

The last straw, the Turner Report has been told, was when Speck, apparently on his own, decided to undermine the university's international mission by having it legislated out of existence. That attempt was thwarted by Sen. Ron Richard, R-Joplin. Neither the Board of Governors nor the State of Missouri's Coordinating Board of Higher Education were aware that Speck, who has been dismissive of the internatinal program since his arrival at Southern, was trying to eliminate the mission.

More to come.