Former director of public safety Joe Wehner returned to Ball State Tuesday to complete his contract year, sporting a different title and different responsibilities.
Wehner reported to Kevin Kenyon, associate vice president of facilities planning and management, for the first time as the newly-christened Special Projects Assistant. He will be working on several projects drafted by Kenyon that, Kenyon said, were in need of attention.
"I can assure you these are projects he can add value," Kenyon said. "I'll keep assigning him work as long as it's necessary."
Wehner was not available for comment.
Wehner will be working on these projects until Feb. 8, 2003, when his contract will be up for renewal. Doug McConkey, vice president of student affairs, said he doesn't expect the university to renew it.
McConkey said he could not speculate on the fate of Wehner's projects after Feb. 8.
Kenyon would not comment on the details of the assignments. He said, however, Wehner's first task is to develop a master plan for building access control, with an initial report expected in about a month.
Wehner will also be investigating parking issues, though it will not play as significant role as initially thought by McConkey.
According to McConkey, he and Dean of Students Randy Hyman were not considering Kenyon's specific projects when Wehner was reappointed, though they determined them soon afterwards.
"Our thoughts evolved into the assignments we have for him," McConkey said.
According to Kenyon, Wehner will be working with people on various projects, but no one would report to him. Wehner will receive day-to-day supervision by Kenyon, who works in the business affairs area, but he will still report to McConkey, who works in student affairs.
"Vice presidential areas are not as important as providing work opportunities," Kenyon said. "It's one university."
Wehner has served as the director of public safety for 12 years. He was reassigned because of a series of allegations against the University Police Department and an investigation by the Indiana State Police, an investigation that resulted in no criminal charges.
Wehner first joined Ball State in March of 1990 as the director of traffic, safety and security. Prior to that, he was the director of police and parking systems at Iowa State University from 1987 to 1990 and a member of the University of Nebraska Police Department from 1973 to 1987.
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