Remember in grade school when your conscientious third grade teacher explained the difference between principle and principal? In my case, she boldly declared the principal is, indeed, your pal. At the college level, we have the next best thing: a president. Right now, Ohio University is preparing for the monumental transition from one president to the next.
What are the qualifications? Who are the prospects?
How do we dovetail the University's best interest with a particular candidate? These are all considerations undertaken by the presidential search committee. Comprised of faculty, staff, students, alumni and trustees, the committee faces the challenge of change: a delicate mechanism through which alteration and variation frequently spark fiery, yet needless controversy.
In order to prevent a future Cutler Hall recall similar to that of California's ousting of Governor Gray Davis, I have comprised a list of 10 key ingredients to consider while resolving the students' next pal:
cure the campus of its rifts; once again, unite the faculty, staff, and administration; and heal any wounds incurred by the student body, alumni, and community.
The ball is in your court, OU. And when I say OU, that doesn't mean just the search committee; this decision is not exclusive to twenty people. With that, I strongly urge the committee to employ and respect the crucial components of a successful change-of-hands highlighted above. Everyone else: consider the ingredients, keep tabs on the committee and respond accordingly.
After all, it is imperative that a decision be derived from the University's best interest as a whole, not a minority's agenda.
Jon Peters is a freshman journalism major who invites your e-mails, so long as they do not pertain to Michael Jackson becoming the next OU president. Email him at jonathan.peters@ohiou.edu
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Jon Peters
