James E. Cofer

James Erwin Cofer Sr. (born 1949), was the tenth president of Missouri State University in Springfield. On May 14, 2010, he succeeded Dr. Michael Nietzel in the position at Missouri State.^[1]

From 2002-2010, he was president of the University of Louisiana at Monroe (ULM).^[2] He previously held faculty appointments at the University of Missouri in Columbia, Missouri, University of Arkansas at Little Rock, Mississippi College in Clinton, Mississippi, Jackson State University in Jackson, Mississippi, and Mississippi State University in Starkville, from which he obtained the Bachelor of Science and MBA in business administration. He received his Ed.D. in administration of higher education from UALR in Little Rock, Arkansas. Eisenhower Fellowships selected Cofer as a USA Fellow in 1995.

Cofer came to ULM in 2002 when the institution was experiencing severe financial and audit problems, having succeeded Lawson Swearingen, a former Democratic member of the Louisiana State Senate, in the top position. He led successful efforts incrementally to return the University to solvency and generally accepted auditing standards.^[3] His "Reclaiming Our Campus" campaign effectively consolidated cooperation from the faculty, staff, students, alumni, and community in restoring a sense of pride and became a case study for ACT Survey Sources.^[4]

Cofer has numerous academic involvements including the Eisenhower Foundation International Advisory Council. He is married to Deborah A. Cofer, whose activities to help refugees from Hurricane Katrina contributed to her being chosen "Business & Professional Person of the Year" by the Monroe / West Monroe Business and Professional Women organization.^[5] Although not damaged per se by the hurricane, ULM was profoundly affected by Katrina, the campus serving as a major refugee site; additionally, President Cofer initiated an unprecedented winter session (during the normal Christmas holidays) so that students could take courses from which they had been uprooted during the Fall 2005 semester.

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