For the second time since Missouri State President Richard “Biff” Williams was named in a federal lawsuit involving his last job, the university’s Board of Governors will meet behind closed doors.
The governing board called an emergency meeting Friday afternoon — posting the agenda just 90 minutes in advance — and have called a special meeting for 3 p.m. Wednesday.
At that time, members who live all over Missouri will jump on a Zoom call. There will be a short roll call by chair Lynn Parman and then the meeting will go into a closed-door session.
The Sunshine Law allows closed-door meetings when personnel or legal issues, among others, are to be discussed. The specific exemptions used to close this meeting were not cited in the agenda.
Williams was president of Utah State University from 2014 through January 2024. He was named the 12th president of Missouri State in March and started work in Springfield this summer.
The federal lawsuit filed Thursday alleges Williams perpetrated a vulgar prank against a Utah Tech colleague and then blamed three other officials, including two women, contributing to a hostile work environment.