An important lesson from Indiana University for Kentucky State University as it undertakes its presidential search:
"For many of us, democracy is more than just an electoral game. It provides a set of values that includes fairness, transparency, participation, and respectful consideration of minority political stakeholders. Yet here in Indiana, like elsewhere, democracy continues to erode in the realm of education, as witnessed by recent events.
"If you have not heard about the controversy surrounding the selection of Indiana University's newest President, then it's time you got up to speed.
"The most troubling aspect of the case was the way the IU Board of Trustees dismissed the recommendations of the Search Committee without explanation, interviewed its own candidates (some of whom had already been passed over by the Committee), and made an opaque, completely unilateral decision.
"The Search Committee was comprised of numerous administrators, faculty, staff, alumni, an elected student, and 4 members of the Board of Trustees itself. They worked long hours to sift through applications and debate their merits. Ultimately, their work was ignored.
"We will never know why the Board of Trustees chose to dismiss the work of this broadly representative Search Committee. What we do know is that the Board of Trustees—with 6 members appointed by Republican governors, and another 3 elected by alumni—is not a democratically elected or nonpartisan body. And to judge by this case, it neither respects nor adheres to democratic values of transparency and accountability."
