Ball State University's new associate provost for research and dean of the graduate school plans to recruit more high-quality graduate students and research-faculty members to campus.
After Robert Morris held the interim position for almost eight months, the university announced Thursday he was chosen from a pool of three candidates to have the permanent position.
"Having this position is a real honor and a real challenge," Morris said. "I'm looking forward to it."
Morris said some of the changes he wants to make affect the enrollment of the graduate school.
He said he wants to gradually increase the number of quality graduate students on campus. Increasing the number of graduate programs on campus and adding more Ph.D. and certificate programs, which fall between a bachelor's program and a graduate program, will help to do so, he said.
Another goal is to double the amount of research-grant funding by 2012, he said. He wants to recruit more quality faculty members to campus to raise the research profile of the university.
He said the first step toward positive change is to evaluate current resources and to learn what people need to succeed.
Graduate school secretary Becky Baldwin said people in the department hoped during the interview process that Morris would get the job because they enjoyed him when he had the interim position.
"We're all very excited that he got the position," she said.
Morris said the experience he gained from the interim position helped him during the interview process.
Provost Terry King said the interview process took two days. It consisted of an open forum of the Ball State faculty members, meetings with Ball State deans and meetings with the research and graduate school staffs, he said.
At the open forum, the candidates gave presentations outlining their qualifications, King said. Candidates were asked job-specific questions in the meetings about their management and leadership skills, among other things, he said.
King said a committee collected the feedback from the interviewers and wrote a report for him to consider when making the final decision.
Morris' leadership and management skills, campus experience and knowledge of research and graduate school programs he gained while attending two of the nations most prestigious universities earned him the job, King said.
"I'm extremely pleased Dr. Morris agreed to take on this role, and I'm expecting big things," he said.
Morris graduated from Ball State with a Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry, he said. He received his Ph.D. in chemistry from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He spent a year at the University of California, Berkeley as a post doctoral fellow sponsored by the National Institute of Health before returning to Ball State. Once here, he worked as a professor for 11 years. In 2002 he became chairman of the chemistry department and remained there until he took the interim position in July.
Graduate admissions specialist Ann Bivens said she was glad Morris got the job because he emphasizes employee appreciation and wants to make positive changes to the program.
"He has a positive outlook on making things more efficient," she said. "He does tell us how much he appreciates his employees."
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