Thomas DeWeese, a veteran member of the Ball State University Foundation, said extending President Jo Ann Gora's contract for two years past her current term was simply the right thing to do.
DeWeese is the president of Ball State's Board of Trustees, which decided unanimously during its Dec. 18 meeting to extend Gora's contract to June 2014 from June 2012.
Tom Taylor, vice president of Enrollment, Marketing and Communications, said extending her contract so far in advance gives Gora the chance to start a new strategic plan after 2012.
"The current strategic plan is targeted through 2012," he said. "I anticipate we will begin in the next year or so looking toward the next strategic plan."
Taylor said the board's decision to extend Gora's contract was not advertised because it's a "routine action."
No other faculty contracts were extended at the board's December meeting.
Gora was elected the 14th president of Ball State in 2004. Her contract was first extended in 2007 and again in 2009.
Taylor said when he arrived at Ball State in 2005, he was pleased with Gora's efforts to reveal Ball State's underrepresented achievements.
"I saw Ball State as an institution that had a lot of assets, but that was being undervalued," he said. "I saw that President Gora had a very dynamic vision for the possibilities of Ball State."
During the last four years, enrollment has increased and quality of students has improved, Taylor said.
Before Taylor came to Ball State, enrollment had started to drop off. In Fall 2005, freshmen enrollment was 3,347. By Fall 2009, enrollment had increased to 3,878, a 16 percent increase. Taylor said the university is not looking to grow significantly at this point.
Fall 2009 also represented the largest enrollment of freshmen in the Honors College. In Fall 2008, there were 289 freshmen in the Honors College and 343 in Fall 2009.
Taylor credits the increase in quality of students to Gora as well. Less than 47 percent of students admitted to Ball State in Fall 2006 had graduated with an Academic Honors Diploma in high school. By Fall 2009, more than 61 percent of admitted freshmen had an Academic Honors Diploma.
In her initial contract, Gora was granted a six-month leave of absence. However, in 2007, her contract was amended to include the option of a $222,000 bonus in lieu of the leave, for which Gora will be eligible to receive in 2012, Taylor said. The board of trustees believes this is a critical time for Ball State, and Taylor said it was pleased with her decision to accept the bonus instead of taking a leave of absence.
DeWeese said he was glad Gora accepted the board's offer to extend her contract. Even though he had no reason to doubt her decision, he said he has full confidence in her ability to lead the university.
"I don't think there's anyone at the university that works harder," he said. "She can get along with a wide range of constituents, dealing with raising money and addressing complex issues."
He also said being in the middle of capital campaign is a poor time to search for a new university president.
"There's a lot of money that still needs to be made, and if we can give her the assurance of the board, that can only help," he said.
DeWeese said he's had confidence in President Gora from the beginning.
"It didn't take her long to get on board to improve the image at Ball State," he said. "There was a very short learning curve for her."
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