In June, Ball State University appointed Tom Taylor as its first vice president of marketing, communications and enrollment management after the other candidate dropped from the ballot.
Sunday, elimination of options in Ball State elections threatened to become a trend.
With Andrew Bodman's withdrawal from the provost search, President Jo Ann Gora is left to choose between Elliott Pood and William Swart - but Gora could be rushing to a decision, without keeping her mind open to every option.
Gora has said she will decide who is to fill the position within 10 days and is not even considering restarting the search.
Refusing to consider other candidates could turn this search into a process of elimination - a last-man-standing choice, rather than a best-man-for-the-job choice.
The Ball State chapter of the American Association of University Professors has asked that Gora either scrap the entire search and start fresh or select Pood as the provost. The professors are open to either option but hope that Gora will listen to their suggestion.
Furthermore, the association has said a search to fill an administrative position is usually more successful if it begins during September or October rather than in the Spring Semester, as this one did.
Gora, however, seems more concerned with finishing the search than assessing her options.
While Swart or Pood could very well be the perfect provost for Ball State, we urge Gora not to limit her choices or lower her standards in the interest of completing the search quickly.
If Ball State is a competitive university for which top administrators will fight to receive positions, Gora and the rest of the administration should go to whatever lengths are necessary to ensure that they're choosing from the best possible candidates.
For the integrity of Ball State University, Gora should at least consider all the options available to her.
Ball State must value finding the highest quality candidates over making timely selections, before this becomes a trend.
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