EDITORIAL: Ross withdraws from NU president search
Students at Central Michigan University were notified via email on Friday that their president since March 1, 2010, will no longer be a candidate to be the next president of the University of Nebraska.
Ross always maintained when speaking to media that he never actively sought to leave CMU, but that he was headhunted. According to his letter, he and his wife "realized that (their) hearts are here," and this will be a better university for it.
It's true that Ross received a vote of no confidence from the Academic Senate in 2011 along with then-Provost Gary Shapiro. However, improved relations between faculty and administration were apparent in the relative ease with which the most recent contract negotiation was achieved.
Whatever disapproval Ross garnered in his early years of leadership, he has since proved his dedication to CMU and its students. In fact, one might even commend him for the number of major innovative projects he pushed through while receiving the second-to-lowest presidential salary in the Mid-American Conference.
After four years as our leader, Ross was awarded a significant salary increase on Jan. 1 by the Board of Trustees, with whom he also has a close and positive relationship. Ross now ranks sixth out of 13 presidents in the MAC in terms of salary. While some may suspect he used his interest NU to prompt a larger raise, others will see that his previous salary did not reflect his body of work at CMU.
Ross inherited several unfinished projects when he assumed the presidency in 2010, and has initiated several since. In addition to continuing the development of the medical school, Ross has worked to make CMU a more STEM-focused university through the implantation of the Biosciences Building, Active Learning Classrooms in Dow and a close relationship with the Central Michigan University Research Corporation.
To bring a new leader into the midst of an unfinished CMED curriculum, an elaborate five-year campus master plan and a partly-constructed Biosciences Building would be less than ideal.
Even less desirable and more expensive would be to add a presidential search on top of the current search for a new dean for CMED, the College of Communication and Fine Arts and the College of Health Professions.
Not only is it logical for Ross to stay at CMU, it is also in the best interest of students. He has developed a reputation for supporting and taking an interest in students since coming to CMU, and cites close relationships with students, faculty and staff as a reason for staying in his letter.
Additionally, Ross has made significant strides in improving and maintaining CMU's relationship with the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe, including supporting the efforts of a CMU professor in starting a Native American youth mentoring program through the university.
Ross's decision to stay and save the university a costly president search and lengthy transition period should be sufficient cause for celebration. We are grateful for his decision to remain loyal to CMU, interested to see where his leadership takes us next and eager for him to reconnect with campus after creating a measure of uncertainty.
