The construction on McKinley Avenue isn't the only change happening on Ball State University's campus this summer: On May 26, the university also appointed its first vice president of marketing, communications and enrollment management.
Tom Taylor was named to the position after the other candidate, Andrew Flagel, withdrew from the search, and President Jo Ann Gora made the announcement public with a press release Tuesday.
The announcement was delayed because Taylor wanted his wife to see the campus and make arrangements with his president at UMBC and he had difficulty contacting President Gora on her vacation, Taylor said.
President Gora could not be reached for comment because she is out of the country on vacation, but in the press release, she said Taylor is well-suited to Ball State.
"With a new structure, we can create a much more powerful synergy between marketing and recruitment, and with Tom Taylor in this position, we can expect great things," she said in the release. "This is an individual who has been an integral player in transforming one university's reputation over time and who has an extraordinary track record of success in enrollment management."
Taylor is currently the assistant provost for enrollment management at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, but he will assume his position at Ball State on Aug. 1.
Taylor cannot wait to start the job.
"I felt flattered, excited and ready to go," he said about being offered the position.
When Taylor arrives at Ball State, he wants to get to know the students and the people he will be working with. He also wants to bring the success he had at his previous school with him to Ball State.
"UMBC is much like Ball State," he said. "I want to bring some ideas that's been successful and see if they fit, make more sense or are adaptable at Ball State.
"I also want to make sure we don't make the same mistakes and go down those paths," he said.
The new vice president position will combine the roles of getting Ball State's name out, attracting new students and improving the image of the university. Taylor appreciates that the three roles will be combined into one position, which Gora created in January.
"As an opportunity bringing in those areas together ... it makes tremendous amount of sense," Taylor said.
"Improving enrollment areas, improving retention, student experience, working on recruiting [all] helps students, helps fund raising, helps alums enhance the value of their existing degree and helps the nation understand more about Ball State," he said.
Taylor also said leaving University of Maryland, Baltimore County is an emotional process and that it was an "extraordinarily difficult decision."
"I was happy at UMBC; I have a lot of dear friends at UMBC," he said. "I am very proud of the success we had."
Taylor spent 27 years at the university, and while he held his current position, its freshman class went from 800 students with an average grade point average of 3.2 (in 1994) to 1,400 students with an average GPA of 3.7 (last fall).
Taylor plans to travel to Ball State for the third time on Monday to visit the campus and attend a meeting to discuss marketing decisions for the university.
Andrew Flagel, dean of admissions and enrollment management at George Mason University in Fairfax, Va., withdrew his candidacy sometime after his forum on May 23. He said that he withdrew from the search because he wanted to finish existing projects at his current school.
Flagel said he did not take making this decision lightly and said it was a difficult one to make.
"I really felt in the midst of the initiatives we haven't implemented, it wasn't the right time to leave," he said. "I'm not prepared to leave them behind,d and I'm prepared to see them through."
"The truth is ... on returning to the institution, in discussing with my provost, president and staff, it really reinforced how close I was to my people here," he said.
Flagel said he signed a four-year contract that keeps him in his current position at George Mason but that his decision "does not reflect a lack of appreciation for Ball State."
Flagel said Ball State will enjoy having Taylor on its administrative staff, and he said both the school and the community will be better because of Taylor.
"I think you have someone that has accomplished great things," he said. "If he can adhere [to] the accomplishments he made to the campus of UMBC, both the community and institution will benefit greatly."
Thomas Kinghorn, chairman of the search committee to fill the position, did not return phone calls about the committee's recommendation.
Now that the Vice President of marketing, communication and enrollment management has been named, the search for the director of student affairs will begin.
Gora said on April 29 that the position will be filled within the university. Larry Smith, acting associate dean of teachers college, leads the director search committee.
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