Ball State University is far from being a national model.
When Blaine Brownell made the push in 2000 to create a Strategic Plan for the university, "national model" was a buzzphrase that immediately popped up.
"Ball State University will be a national model for all who seek intellectual vitality in a learner-centered and socially responsible academic community," reads the university's vision statement.
The university then created this strategic plan to build us to model status.
And yet, nearly four years later, Ball State is still trying to become a national model by way of copying everyone else.
The most recent example is BSU's secretive search for a new president. The university says that the only name that will be released in this search will be that of the new boss, and we're lucky to get that.
University spokeswoman Heather Shupp says the reasoning is twofold. First, the confidentiality will draw the best candidates, and second, those candidates' current jobs will not be put in jeopardy.
Ball State even hired a search firm who conducted a similar search at Indiana University.
So Muncie's national model school is trying to keep things from its students, faculty and state. And they justify that decision by saying, "They did it in Bloomington too."
Here's another example. This past summer, Brownell cut three sports teams to balance the athletics budget.
The department was in the red, no doubt, but instead of using creativity to break even, Brownell opted to become a national model by doing something that a handful of other schools in his own conference had already done.
Way to lead by way of following.
And there's more.
Back in the fall of 2002 the Board of Trustees tacked on a perennial $1,000 fee for incoming freshmen. Funds are tight in this day in age, and the state is not helping out, so the university decided to put the onus on new students.
Surely it was just a coincidence that Purdue University added the exact same fee just months earlier.
Ball State University is about as much of a national model for intellectual vitality as Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez are models for the perfect couple.
Secrecy, greed and single-mindedness are not qualities people -- let alone entire universities -- should emulate.
Most of this university's administration does not seem to be concerned with the opinions of the people who pay their salaries and the faculty who are the heart and soul of the school. Decisions seem to be made often over summer and winter vacations, when students are not around to protest. And in his tenure, Brownell has denied requests to add a faculty member to the Board of Trustees.
So we have an oligarchy. A government by a small group of people. The students can't do anything about it, and neither can the faculty for the fact that they don't have a voice.
Fare thee well, Blaine.
Hopefully, we can secretly bring in a new president who can restore integrity to this school.
Write to Jay at jdkenworthy@bsu.edu
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