On Friday, the Robert Holland Faculty Senate took a stand against Mississippi’s Institution of Higher Learning. Well, sort of. A sharp debate focused on who would choose the faculty representatives to the campus advisory board. Should it be the IHL or the Faculty Senate? Well, what exactly is the campus advisory board? The short answer is that it is a committee of roughly 40 members made up of staff, students and faculty. What powers does the Board have? None.
An IHL subcommittee (made up of six of the 12 IHL members) uses a private firm to get an initial list of candidates for MSU president. After initially knocking out a few names, it sends the list to the campus advisory board to get their recommendations. Then the IHL subcommittee makes a final list, conducts interviews and hires a president. It controls the process from beginning to end. They could even hire a candidate not on the original list. The campus advisory board has as much power as I do. They can say what they want, but no one has to listen to them.
One could argue that the time spent debating the faculty representation issue was time wasted. After all, it’s only seats on a committee with no real authority. And it’s not like the IHL and the advisory board have different objectives. Everyone agrees that the overriding goal is to find the best president for MSU.
However, the next president will serve many masters. This person must please the IHL, alumni, athletics fans, staff, faculty and students. He or she will also be the most visible representative of MSU, next to Jackie Sherrill. And Sherrill doesn’t have to worry nearly as much about budget cuts and fund-raising.
So the real problem is that the IHL is monopolizing a process in which many groups should have real power. Whether the faculty is able to choose its representatives on the advisory board is a small issue.
What I want to know is why no faculty, staff or students are on the IHL subcommittee that is making the real decisions. Why is it assumed that the six members of the subcommittee know more about what it takes to run MSU than the people who work here?
I respect the IHL and what it is trying to do. Running eight universities is no easy task. Also, I understand the concept of an outside group having final authority over a university. I think it’s a good idea; however, it’s one thing to pick a president who will keep the IHL happy by making sure the budget is balanced, but it’s quite another to pick one who will maintain MSU’s academic atmosphere.
I think every candidate should understand that there are many concerns to balance at MSU. There is no better place to drive that point home than during the presidential search process. The IHL subcommittee needs to have faculty, staff and student representatives working alongside IHL members to pick the best person to lead MSU.