May 16, 2004
People who came to the announcement of the new president lastweek were not necessarily among the first at Ball State to meet JoAnn Gora.
That distinction better fits the members of the women'sbasketball team. They happened to be having a reception at theAlumni Center at the same time that Gora, then a candidate for BallState's presidency, decided to visit Muncie for her own inspectionof the campus.
At the time, though, Gora was just another face in the crowd.She spoke to people there, she watched clips of the games, and shegave away no secrets.
"We acted like lost parents checking out a campus for anaspiring college student," Gora said. "And we didn't eat any of thefood because we had not been invited."
It was one of the last times Gora will be able to step foot oncampus without turning some heads. She has gone from an anonymousface at Ball State to the figurehead of the university.
Gora, the chancellor of the University of Massachusetts atBoston, was appointed and introduced by the Board of Trustees asthe next president of Ball State University last week, ending afive-month search to replace former president Blaine Brownell.
The day after her appointment, Gora sat down for her firstinterview in her new role. The first female president of any publicinstitution in Indiana, Gora talked about her goals, the challengesshe might face and her ultimate vision for Ball State.
THE GOAL
Gora wants to tell the Ball State story to the entirecountry.
"I think Ball State does have a good story to tell," Gora said."It's just we have to learn how to effectively tell thatstory."
Gora believes that Ball State, considering what it offers itsstudents, doesn't get the recognition that it deserves. She wantsto go to high-profile publications such as The Chronicle of HigherEducation and U.S. News & World Report to spread the word aboutBall State's programs.
"Some of it, frankly, is sheer marketing," Gora said.
Another part of it is athletics. During the interview and herpress conference, Gora remarked about how athletics can elevate thevisibility of a university.
"Not too many people knew about Boston College before DougFlutie," Gora said.
And at the press conference, Gora said the potential to createhighly-visible athletic programs does exist here at Ball State.
CHALLENGES AHEAD
Gora will take office August 9 as the university begins to lookforward to a new school year. Shadows of last year will stilllinger, though. Before Gora's selection, faculty predicted that thenew president would begin her work with an extra burden because ofconflict between them and the Board of Trustees. Upperclassmen willbe waiting to see whether the new year is better than the last -when they lost two classmates to highly-publicized deaths - orworse. The federal lawsuit resulting from one of those deaths willjust be beginning.
But Gora is no stranger to turmoil. She was presiding over UMBwhen the campus lost $29 million in state funds. Those cuts meantshe had to make some cuts of her own in the university's budget.She made enemies along the way. In fact, her first performancereview as chancellor of UMB was about to be completed before shetook the job at Ball State, and there is speculation that itwouldn't have been favorable.
However, she had many supporters. Multiple faculty memberssigned a letter praising her for that same review. Gora said shewas not worried about it.
"I had absolutely no sign from the trustees or from thepresident of the system that my performance review would have beenanything but positive," Gora said.
However, she said she is leaving UMB because of the absence ofWilliam Bulger, former president of the University ofMassachusetts. With him, she had created a vision for UMB. When hestepped down, Gora said that vision became difficult toachieve.
"Boston is a very complex political environment," Gora said.
However, that environment should serve her well as she begins totackle the issues demanding her attention at Ball State.
The rift between the faculty and the Board might be tackledearly on.
"One of the first things I want to do when I come on campus isto meet with all of the academic departments individually," Gorasaid.
Tragedies like the ones suffered by the families of Kyle Harfordand Michael McKinney, the student shot by a University Policeofficer in November, will not make Gora chart any new territory.Similar events occurred at Old Dominion University when she firstarrived, and other universities in Boston have been dealing withtragedies of their own.
"Big universities are like little cities," Gora said. "When youhave this many people and this much activity going on and this muchcomplexity, bad things happen to good people."
Gora told the audience at Tuesday's press conference that shewants to meet with the Harford and McKinney families now that shehas taken the job.
A NEW START
Gora will bring her new husband Roy Budd, who works in workforceand economic development, with her to Muncie when she moves intoBracken House. The two were married on New Year's Eve 2003. Theirchildren, Jesse Gora, who lives in Salt Lake City, and TiffanyBudd, who lives in Raleigh, N.C., will soon be visiting, shehopes.
"I told them that they had to come visit us," Gora said.
And when Gora returns, she likely won't blend in as well as shedid when she first came in. She is no longer another face in thecrowd. She is the face that represents the crowd. And once shebegins, she will begin the work that she thinks will make BallState itself more than just another face in thecrowd.����������������������������������������������������������*���*���2���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������&���4\ �|g�n_gora_recap DNEditorial�����*���*���2SORTR��� �2��AUDT���
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