With force
George Ross will no longer be affiliated with Central Michigan University after this semester.
Although Ross hasn't set an official resignation date, he can begin his new job as president at Alcorn State University by June 1.
This should give the university plenty of time to get the ball rolling when it comes to naming an interim and starting the beginning stages of a national search for Ross' permanent replacement.
As vice president for finance and administrative services, Ross is a key figure in CMU's senior administrative staff. He essentially is the third most important person at CMU, behind only president Michael Rao and the executive vice president and provost, which currently is held as an interim role by Gary Shapiro.
Ross is very important to CMU, as he is the go-to guy when it comes to university budget information. Replacing him is not going to be easy.
That's why it is imperative the university attack this with force.
The university most likely has known about this for a while. If Alcorn named Ross as its preferred candidate a couple weeks ago, then it would only make sense if he was contacted earlier in Alcorn's search, informing him that he was a finalist.
Even Rao said last week that Ross leaving was something he feared. "I knew when we hired him that it would be just a matter of time before we would lose him to a university presidency," Rao said.
If Rao was so sure, then the university should have been planning for Ross' possible departure for some time, meaning it shouldn't take long for an interim replacement to be named. An interim should be named by the end of the semester, if not sooner.
CMU also should be thinking about how it wants to search for a new VP for finance and administrative services.
It would be remiss to not mention the university's recent struggles with national searches, especially involving the search for an associate vice president for off-campus programs and the ongoing search for a new executive vice president and provost.
Officials can be sure we will critique this national search just as closely.
But since CMU already knows Ross will be gone, there shouldn't be an excuse if a search isn't launched by the end of the semester.
One thing the university already has done right is to name Steve Lawrence, associate vice president for Facilities Management, to replace Ross when it comes to making campus closure decisions.
When the question of whether or not to close campus because of inclement weather arises, Ross' has been the final decision in the matter. This editorial board has wondered for years why CMU's chief financial officer makes that decision.
But the decision is in the right hands with Lawrence calling the shots.
So one decision down, two huge ones to go.
Hopefully CMU continues to make the right ones.
