STAFF EDIT: Influence search for president

While the presidential search has often seemed beyond student influence, a Mar. 3 forum will allow them to provide input to the search committee and firm. If students actually show up with relevant, intelligent comments and the event gets widespread publicity, this will represent a rare opportunity for Boston University students to have some say in their school and its future.

The primary role of BU should be educating students, and even if the university also looks out for financial gain, having satisfied students here ensures tuition payments and future alumni donations. Although most students appreciate the dedicated professors and worthwhile classes the administration has helped develop, many students also feel that a distant, uncaring administration affects the entire tone of the university.

Fortunately, Ethan Clay has not only recognized this but has also actively pushed for student involvement, both by garnering himself a position on the committee and called for the student forum. Even though the future president will likely be at BU longer than current students, today’s students do accurately reflect the mood of BU for its near future. It is imperative that the search committee and firm understand what BU students are like and what they hope for in their top administrator.

Now that Clay has helped make this opportunity exist, it is up to students to take advantage of the forum. A significant number of students should show up, considering that the presidential decision will affect all of them, even if it is only as alumni. Furthermore, they must bring valuable comments and questions. While the moderator should not screen student comments like at Silber’s forum last semester, the moderator should keep students on track. The search firm and committee does not care exactly what one student thinks about cable TV, but they do need to have a sketch of the student body and its overall desires for its administration.

However, students will be far more likely to give useable input if the event is publicized effectively. The Trustees, Student Union and the search firm and committee all need to publicize the event widely, either independently or by combining their resources. Utilizing the e-mail listservs, The Link and resident assistants are just a few ways they can get the word out. Most importantly, the advertisements must clearly convey the message that higher-ups want student discourse and will listen.

Another method to gain valuable input is to give the BU community some idea of what is going on with the presidential search. While students know the committee and firm cannot release specific names, knowing whether the bodies are still defining what they are looking for or whether they are narrowing down a list of candidates would be immensely helpful. In addition to being the search firm for BU, Isaacson, Miller also led the search for Cornell University’s new president. Their role at that school should be a model for the search at BU: they held multiple meetings with the school’s community, provided basic information and showed interested parties how to contact them.

If students do not show up or give worthless opinions, the forum will fail. But with proper moderation and publicity, this event could finally give students a chance to address and possibly impact the administration. As long as that happens, this forum should be merely a start for student involvement in finding a president.