Picking the president
With University President Michael Rao's departure, Central Michigan University faces a significant change in leadership.
The next president will affect academic programs, extracurricular activities, athletics - virtually everything associated with the university.
At an open forum at 4 p.m. today in the Bovee University Center Lake Michigan Room, students will have a chance to make themselves heard. They should use this opportunity.
The forum, which is hosted by the Presidential Screening Committee, will give students the chance to state what they want from a president: what qualities they seek.
Students can speak directly with the committee, which is seeking their input. This gives students the opportunity to influence the search process. Committee members seem prepared to take students' comments to heart.
Moreover, students do not even need to go to the UC. The committee is providing online access, complete with a textbox where viewers can submit questions for a moderator, through the presidential search Web site, cmich.edu/presidentialsearch.
The search committee currently includes only one student, Student Government Association President Jason Nichol. Because of this, it is essential that students make themselves heard to the entire committee. Nichol is its only student voice, and he cannot speak for every student's perspective.
This forum will be students' only chance this semester to make clear what they want from the new president. The search will continue throughout the summer, when many students are off-campus.
Similarly, given this forum's online access, the committee should consider hosting some online-only forums throughout the summer. This would let interested students remain involved.
We applaud the committee's speed in arranging a forum this semester. We only hope students make full use of it.
