Change is inevitable at Ball State University, and the provost should orchestrate it and push it in the right direction, provost candidate Terry King said.
King spoke Wednesday about the importance of change and the resources needed to implement it - something President Jo Ann Gora is currently attempting to achieve at Ball State.
King said it was important for whoever took a provost position to spend time with students because even though administrators would primarily work with other administrators, administration wouldn't be the business of the institution. The students would be, he said.
"Often times students have really good ideas," King said.
A graduate of Iowa State University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology, King is currently dean for the College of Engineering at Kansas State University. Prior to being dean at Kansas State, he taught at Iowa State University for 15 years.
King discussed three elements he said were necessary to the success of an administrator.
He addressed the importance of day-to-day management skills like overseeing classes, paperwork and the signing of diplomas, etc.
He moved on to the issue of problem-solving, which was an important aspect of administration because problems often arise and need to be dealt with by people in administrative positions, he said. Finally, King discussed the importance of leadership qualities. He said these qualities enabled a person to help create strategic plans.
Dr. Ralph Baker, a political science professor, asked King a question about his feelings on private or public budget hearings because Ball State's are usually private. King said he felt it was important to publicly announce requests and decisions as opposed to keeping things private.
Baker said policies weren't always made in an open manner and that King's public approach towards this issue was worth giving a shot.
Dr. Dale Hahn, physiology and health science professor, asked King a question addressing the concern of all three provost candidates coming from engineering backgrounds. He asked King how he would reassure "the poet, the trumpet professor, the historian," that he is more than just the encounter type fellow?
King emphasized that engineers were broadly educated people because they has been taught to exist to serve society. However, engineers tend to be too involved with processes and results, he said. Therefore, engineers need to remember to consider things like politics and other issues to fulfill such a position, he said.
"I appreciate the need for a university leader to be broadly focused," King said.
Going with his theme of change, King said Ball State seems to have high aspirations for moving the institution forward. Change should be based on core values and the priorities of the people incorporating the change, he said. "To me, a priority isn't a priority without resources behind it," King said.
Among other issues, King answered questions about the importance of diversity on college campuses, the need for student athletics and graduate funding, the development of strong science and math curriculum and how he effectively leads change in his current position as dean at Kansas State.
"Just establishing a program doesn't make it happen," King said. "I may not know a lot about all the disciplines [at Ball State], but I am teachable."
O'Neal Smitherman, vice president of information technology and chairman of the provost search committee, said he felt the provost search was going well. He said the search committee was eager to see Bjong Wolf Yeigh speak and to get together to compare notes on the three candidates, King, Yeigh and Y.T. Shah.
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