For the second time in a year, Randy Hyman, Ball State University's associate dean for the Division of Student Affairs, is considering leaving for administrative positions at other universities.
Next week, Hyman will travel to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, where he is already a finalist candidate for vice chancellor of student affairs.
"I was notified by the chairperson of the search committee in late September that they had received a letter of nomination - someone nominated me for the job," Hyman said.
He wasn't told who nominated him, he said, but he gave the nomination careful thought.
"I decided to follow through and forward my credentials for their consideration," Hyman said.
Kay Bales, dean for the Division of Student Affairs, said if Hyman left, she would look for a temporary replacement internally and then a national search would be completed to find a permanent replacement.
Several departments report directly to Hyman: the Career Center, the Counseling Center, Health Services, the Multicultural Center, Student Rights and Community Standards and Disabled Student Development.
He is also chairman of the Campus Community Coalition and leader of the Ball State Crisis Management Team.
Hyman said many aspects of UNL appealed to him including the comprehensiveness of the vice chancellor position, the beautiful campus and the prestige of the university.
"I'm very well aware of the University of Nebraska's reputation as one of the most outstanding public institutions of higher education in the country," Hyman said. "Students there are very high quality and excellent in virtually every way."
Hyman said he had been notified with in the last few weeks that he was nominated for positions at other universities as well.
Hyman would not say what universities or how many universities had approached him, but he said he had accepted the nominations of all but one school.
"All the places that I'm looking -- that I've been notified by - all have very strong, well regarded student affairs divisions," Hyman said.
He said if he left Ball State for one of these positions, the typical timetable would have him starting in July.
Hyman came to Ball State in 1989 as the associate vice president for student affairs and became the dean of students in 2001. He became interim vice president for student affairs and enrollment management in late January after President Jo Ann Gora asked Doug McConkey, former vice president of student affairs and enrollment management, to resign in December 2004. Hyman then applied for the position of dean for the Division of Student Affairs at Ball State, but the position went to Bales instead, and Hyman was made associate dean.
He has been happy at Ball State, but when a good career opportunity presents itself, he considers it, Hyman said.
He was a finalist for positions at Eastern Illinois University and the University of Toldeo in April 2005.
Bales said, "I think it's very natural for a professional to look for opportunities and seek advancement in one's career."
While staff members are missed when they leave, it happens all the time at universities.
"I certainly I think any leader has concerns when a team member is leaving or thinks about leaving," Bales said, "and you try to project in the future and think about how you would go about filling the void that may be left."
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