BSU starts presidential search talks

MUNCIE — Ball State University's board of trustees will start discussing the search for a new president on Monday, beginning with a closed-door meeting they hope will ward off a faculty vote of no confidence in the board.

Board chairman Rick Hall, Indianapolis, and board member Hollis Hughes, South Bend, will meet privately with more than a dozen faculty, professional staff and students to talk about concerns including the unexplained and apparently forced resignation of President Paul Ferguson and how the next president will be selected. Acting President Terry King and acting Provost Bob Morris also will attend the breakfast meeting in the student center.

Later in the day, the nine-member board of trustees will meet publicly to discuss the search.

King recently talked Faculty Council out of voting on a resolution expressing a "disheartening lack of confidence" in the board, saying it would be premature and uninformed to adopt the resolution before giving Hall a chance to be heard.

Also recently, King headed off action by University Senate on a draft resolution calling for the state Legislature to change how trustees are appointed. Under current law, the governor appoints the nine members of the board, two of whom are nominated by the Alumni Council, one of whom is a student nominated by the university and one of whom is designated by the Ball family. King said he would have killed that resolution.

Urban planning professor Bruce Frankel has likened the board to a communist politburo and said, "I think the governor has way too much influence for the amount of money they provide the university." State appropriations used to comprise a majority of Ball State's general fund; now tuition does.

Frankel advocated a board made up of three of members appointed by the alumni association, one member  appointed by the Student Government Association, one appointed by the city of Muncie, one appointed by University Senate, and three appointed by the governor.

"That would be pretty different from the other universities out there," said state Sen. Tim Lanane, D-Anderson, whose district includes Muncie.

At Indiana University, alumni elect three members of the board of trustees. Any IU degree holder can vote in the election. The governor appoints the other six members. At Purdue University,  the Alumni Association selects three members of the board, one of whom must be a graduate of the College of Agriculture. The governor appoints the remaining seven members, including a student trustee.

"If you look at IU and Purdue, a good number of trustees are appointed by the governor," Lanane said. "It would be sort of a tough sell to alter that too radically. You have to think of what is practical in terms of getting something passed down there. I understand the concerns of Ball State faculty and students, but I guess initially I hope things could be resolved internally through the university without the Legislature having do do anything."

In January, Ball State student Carli Hendershot organized a "nonviolent sit-in" at a meeting of the board of trustees to protest Ferguson's mysterious resignation.

Besides Frankel, those scheduled to attend Monday's meeting are associate professor of family/consumer sciences Amy Harden, associate professor of sociology Rachel Kraus, associate professor of animation Andy Beane, associate professor of political science Darren Wheeler, associate professor of theatre Karen Kessler, professor of telecommunications Dom Caristi, professor of information/communication Ron Kovac, associate vice president for development Derek Berger, head of serials cataloging at university libraries Scott McFadden, and three students.

Contact Seth Slabaugh at (765) 213-5834.