EDITOR'S NOTE
What follows is a copy of the President's Perspective, written by President Jo Ann Gora and distributed to a group of faculty and staff on Wednesday. The e-mail addresses Tuesday's front page story "Provost candidate withdraws."
Next to the President's Perspective is an exact transcript of the phone conversation that took place between Gora and News Editor Emily Ortman on Monday night.
The transcript comes from a recording of the phone conversation. Recording interviews is not an uncommon practice in a newsroom - it helps to ensure accuracy. Although President Gora did not know she was being recorded, she did know she was on the record.
While this might raise an ethical issue, it does not raise a legal one. Indiana law requires only one party to know when recording is taking place. Because of said law, we are able to print this interview in its entirety to allow you, the reader, to make your own informed decision about Gora's words and the Daily News' coverage.
The President's Perspective
The Daily News certainly captured the sense of importance that the search for our next provost has for the university community when it featured the news of Andrew Bodman's withdrawal from the search as its headline story yesterday accompanied by an impassioned editorial about keeping all of our options open. Unfortunately, the newspaper did not capture quite so clearly my thinking about where we are in the process. I believe this issue is of sufficient importance to warrant setting the record straight.
After diligent and hard work by the search committee and comprehensive, multiday visits from three candidates, we are finally at the point in the process where I must make a decision about how to conclude this search. I take this responsibility very seriously, and I am in the process of rigorous reference checking on the candidates far beyond the scope of the references they provided.
I am keenly interested in moving Ball State forward in pursuit of excellence, innovation, and entrepreneurial thinking. Selecting the right provost is absolutely critical to these endeavors, and I have not ruled out any possibilities - including failing this search - in our quest to secure the academic leadership Ball State needs.
I did not tell the Daily News that starting a new search process is not even an option and that I will choose one of the two candidates currently under review no matter what. The confusion arose, I believe, from their having asked me if Dr. Bodman's withdrawal meant that this would be a failed search, to which I responded that a candidate withdrawal - even near the end of a search process - does not automatically create a failed search.
My intent is not to be critical of our student reporters who are learning their craft as they produce the Daily News; it is simply to clarify my thinking and my statements for those among you who are quite interested in the progress of this search and care about my perspective on the issues.
While I do hope to be able to announce a decision within the next 10 days, it is possible that it could take longer to reach all of the references I wish to contact. I can promise you, however, that I will announce the decision to you, the Ball State faculty and staff, through a President's Perspective before Ball State makes any public announcement.
Sincerely,
Jo Ann M. Gora
President
The conversation transcribed
[Greetings are exchanged and Ortman tells Gora she would like to talk to her about Andrew Bodman removing his interest from the search.]
Emily Ortman: How does him pulling out of this affect the shape of this search? What does it change?
JO ANN GORA: It means we have one fewer candidate to consider. <pause> You know I don't have any profound statement to make, Emily. I am, I was reviewing the references and doing, doing my normal due diligence as I do in every search which I speak to folks who, who the candidate may not have listed as references but speak to folks at their current institution as well as previous institution. I had just started on that process and so you know Dr. Bodman has withdrawn, that happens all the time that a candidate withdraws, and so now I have two candidates to review.
Ortman: Mhm. Did he mention any reasons to you as to why he chose to withdraw?
GORA: No. I think that there were some things going on on his own campus that influenced his decision.
Ortman: Mhm. Yeah, we've been trying to get in contact with him, but we've been unsuccessful so far, so we're going to keep trying to do that.
GORA: And I did not speak to him, so I really don't know. I know that when he left here he said he was very interested in the position.
Ortman: OK. Let's see, also, would you consider, now that there are only two candidates, halting the search and starting a new search? Is that even like an option in your mind?
GORA: No, no. I mean it's quite, you know, we need to select one person, we don't need to select three people, so we have two viable candidates, and so now the, my process continues as I check the references and on these two individuals.
Ortman: Mhm. Is there a timeline you have set or anything for yourself about when this decision might be made?
GORA: I hope to make the decision within the next 10 days.
Ortman: Mhm. Let's see, also, just kind of a more general question about the search in general, what kind of challenges are associated with conducting this type of search and making this final decision?
GORA: Well, it's important for me to look at a person's entire career and to evaluate the contributions that they have made throughout their career, so that I get a good picture of what that person might do here at Ball State. I also consi-I also talk to people who are not listed on their reference sheet. I just call people at random, on not only the campus they're on, but the campus prior to that. So it, it requires quite a bit of time on my part to do this.
Ortman: Mhm. How do you think the search committee - and in particular, Dr. Smitherman - handled their part of the search process?
GORA: Oh, I think the search committee did an excellent job. I think we had a, a very good group of candidates - a very strong pool, and the search committee reduced that pool to three fine candidates.
Ortman: Mhm. Is there anything else, like, about the provost search in general you'd like to add or say or mention?
GORA: <pause> Not other than what I have.
Ortman: Okay.
[The conversation was then turned to focus on the NCAA extra-benefit violations affecting Ball State's Athletics Department.]
Read More
Three Air Jam teams take home the win
October 12, 2012Nineteen teams shimmied, shook and flipped for a sold out John R. Emens Auditorium on Thursday night during the 25th annual Air Jam.
Bill Clinton Speaks at North Central High School
October 12, 2012Former President's Speech Could Have Effect on State Senate Race
