With the interviews of prospective Mississippi State
presidents fully under way, our university stands
at a critical juncture and in need of a president
whose heart is set on truly representing MSU.
Unfortunately, the search process of the Institutions of Higher
Learning can’t promise this and is in need of reform.
The IHL has proven time and again it is incapable of listening
to the concerns of its schools. Over the past few years, Mississippi
State has served as a perfect example of this. Before former MSU
President Robert “Doc” Foglesong resigned, the IHL stood by
doing nothing as criticism of his leadership mounted to incredible
heights.
The presidential search process itself has changed little since
2006, when Foglesong was chosen. The black curtains that were
hung in the windows of the state College Board headquarters
during this week’s interviews are symbolic of the lack of transparency
in the search process as a whole.
As in 2006, the IHL has refused to release any information
about the prospects, leaving us only to speculate about those who
aren’t ultimately “preferred.” Sure, we are given the opportunity
to meet the preferred candidate, but this gives us very little power
in the search process. The attempts of the IHL to be open and
hold forums are not much more than simple public relations
moves to pacify students and faculty.
The structure of the IHL carries hardly any accountability and
breeds the type of politics that brought us Foglesong and contracts
with companies such as Aramark. It is too centralized, and
each university doesn’t have the representation it needs.
We think the recently proposed bill to restructure the College
Board may be able to bring some of the needed reform. Under this
proposal, which is being championed by Senate Universities and
Colleges Committee Chairman Doug E. Davis, R-Hernando,
the College Board would be replaced by a board of governors
representing each university. Furthermore, each university would
have its own seven-member board of trustees, with four members
appointed by the state governor and three members appointed by
the individual universities.
We realize that the centralizing power of the IHL has its benefits,
but Mississippi State is in dire need of more representation.
The bill seems to be well intentioned and if enacted stands a
good chance of getting rid of some of the politics and cronyism
that have become characteristic of our current system.
Given our situation at this university, it is easy to find this bill
attractive. Other smaller schools depend on a more centralized
system, although we are still inclined to believe more representation
for all the public universities will be beneficial.
Ultimately, we can’t determine whether the proposed structure
will work to give the school more autonomy in its decision-making.
And since the bill is unlikely to pass, we will probably never
know for sure. However, the fact that people are starting to question
the effectiveness of the IHL is a good indicator. Realization
is the first step to recovery. We hope that people continue to
reconsider the status quo.
The Reflector editorial board is made up of opinion editor Matt Watson,
news editor Carl Smith, assistant news editor Sarah Dale Simpkins, sports
editor Brandon Wright, entertainment editor Kyle Wrather, photo editor
Bud Sorey, copy editor Josh Starr, online editor Adam Kazery, managing
editor David Breland and editor in chief Erin Kourkounis.