The secrecy of Ball State's presidential-search process is not likely to violate Indiana's Open Door Laws, but the state's public-access counselor is still seeking answers from the university.
Michael Hurst, the public-access counselor appointed by the governor, attempted to contact university officials Thursday after Ball State faculty members began sending him information about the search.
Ball State announced last month that, in a departure from procedure in the past, the presidential-search committee will not announce finalists for the job. Instead, it will recommend only one person for the Board of Trustees to approve.
Hurst stressed that he hasn't spoken to the university's attorney, but he said he expects the university to claim the search committee has a right to narrow its list down to one person while in closed meetings. State law does not specify whether or not this is legal when a public agency hires an employee, such as Ball State's president.
The search committee will then recommend its candidate to the Board of Trustees, who will vote publicly.
"Nobody's taking action in a closed meeting," Hurst said.
Heather Shupp, executive director of University Relations, said the process will likely go that route.
"That is probably the intention," Shupp said.
While that situation is the most likely, Shupp added that the search committee has the authority to bring two or three candidates before the Board if it determined it would be in Ball State's best interests.
University Senate member Joe Losco said the Ball State community should continue to pressure the Board to release the names of the final three candidates either way.
"We ought to be looking at both the letter of the law and its intent," Losco said. "The intent of the public-access law is to let the sun shine in."
Losco also encouraged faculty and students to work together to change the search process.
"I think our interests are identical on this," Losco said. "We want more input."
In response to an announcement by the Board Wednesday that another faculty member be added to the search committee, Student Government Association President Jayson Manship challenged the Board to add another student.
"Students have always been underrepresented when it comes to governance-related issues," Manship said in the statement. "Apparently the students have once again been overlooked."
Tom DeWeese, president of the Board, said it is not his intention to leave students out of the search process.
"I think we've got a good committee, and I'm ready to move on," DeWeese said. "It just doesn't make any sense to me to add any more people to it."
While Manship did not speak to DeWeese, he said SGA members responded well to his statement. He has spoken to Sarah Atkinson, the student representative on the search committee. The two will be meeting during the weekend. Members of the senate have told him they are planning another rally, similar to the one SGA staged for a new Student Center.
Similar search processes at Indiana University and Purdue University did not cause the controversy it is causing on Ball State's campus.
The processes at IU and Purdue differed, however, because the search processes were made open to the public early in the process. At IU, the search committee accepted nominations for president from anybody who offered one, said Jane Jankowski, a university spokesperson. It also provided generic information to the public about the candidates being considered as the search neared a conclusion.
Losco has also said strong relations between IU's faculty and Board of Trustees allowed the process to work.
"We've got probably the biggest gulf between faculty and Board in recent history," Losco said.
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