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    « Ultimate Team Rankings - HR Style | Main | Guest Post - Head in the Cloud? The move to On-demand »
    Tuesday
    Aug112009

    T-Pain for President

    In early June, the President of Florida State University (FSU), T.K. Wetherell,  unexpectedly announced his intention to step down from his post. The FSU Board of Trustees sprung into action, by convening a blue ribbon Presidential Search Planning Committee.

    Great, a committee was needed to 'plan' the search.  I wonder what kind of august body FSU will need to actually conduct the search and hire a new President?

    But I digress.

    After all the planning and searching and committee meetings and open forums on campus I wonder if the next President will look a lot like this guy:

    FSU outgoing President T.K. Wetherell

    or this guy, (who is in charge of the search)?

    Jim Smith - FSU Board of Trustees Chairman

    Meanwhile, some FSU students have seized the opportunity to put forward their preferred candidate, the Rapper T-Pain.  They have set up a T-Pain for President Facebook Group where they lay out some key platform positions, among them are:From T-Pain for President Facebook group

    • Widespread collaboration among the faculty of different departments: Guest spots on each other's papers and projects. (Sounds like a good idea)
    • Annual Ice Cream Social to take place On A Boat (All right, way to go!)
    • Replacing the water in all campus fountains and water fountains with Cham-Pain (a little unorthodox, but I can support it)


    Ok, so I know that T-Pain is not going to become the next President of FSU.  But the students behind this campaign for T-Pain are customers of FSU. Their time, money, and in many cases continued support as alumni are largely what keep institutions like FSU going. They should have some input into the process.

    I look at the T-Pain campaign as more a statement of 'please don't install another gray-haired white dude'.

    What do you think?  Do students or customers have a right to have input to executive searches?

    Take us out of here T-Pain:

     

     

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    Reader Comments (9)

    Nice post (as always!) What jumped out at me was your comment that students are customers. I wonder how many colleges and universities look at students in that way?

    August 11, 2009 | Unregistered CommenterSharlyn Lauby

    Thanks Sharlyn - I think that many schools try to think of the students as customers, but it always will be a strange relationship, as the school puts so many demands on the 'customers' if they want to continue to be customers. But at the same time the school needs to strive to retain its best and brightest customers, much like any other business. I hope that the students behind the T-Pain campaign at least succeed in bringing some attention to their desires, and the need for the search committee to do more than 'round up the usual suspects'. Thanks again for reading and sharing your thoughts.

    August 11, 2009 | Registered CommenterSteve

    Great point Steve. I think in general colleges and universities market to the parents of the students and don't pay enough attention to the opinions of their key demographic, the student body. While I agree with your statement about brightest and most qualified candidate ultimately getting the position, that is resting on the hope that the selection committee is wearing blinders and doesn't allow their personal biases to effect their final decision. I totally agree that if nothing else...it has raised awareness on the opinions of the students who are often seen as apathetic and disinterested. Kudos for bring this front and center.

    August 11, 2009 | Unregistered CommenterTraci Devau

    I know who will be a great President...FSU Alum Stephanie A. Lloyd.

    I love the idea of T-Pain for President and love the notion that students are customers since they're paying tuition there. Now let's just say T-Pain was selected President, you know FSU will be the number one party school for many years, but academically, it might get worse. It also hurts that the FSU athletic program cheated on a Music History course...A MUSIC HISTORY COURSE!!! For that, would T-Pain even think of being President if no one didn't know their music history?

    August 11, 2009 | Unregistered CommenterTracy Tran

    I am a UNC-Wilmington alum, and attended while "Dawson's Creek" was a popular show, and filmed on our campus. I cannot tell you how many times I was late to a class (and held accountable for that fact) because the production company had hallways or buildings or limited parking blocked to shoot scenes.

    Even as a member of the Student Council, it was difficult to get the university to see past the $$ the production company paid for the use of the campus, and hear our complaints about the disruption of learning... that we were PAYING for.

    I do hope that the FSU board hears the students.

    Great post, Steve.

    August 11, 2009 | Unregistered Commentertlcolson

    Steve,

    This is so true with so many orgs. The customer is many time forgotten, especially when the org is mature and deeply rooted in their culture. Status Quo is good for these folks. By the way, I would anticipate if the President of FSU looks just like the exiting President, he will look to replace a retiring Bobby Bowden with that young, whipper-snapper, Joe Paterno.

    August 11, 2009 | Unregistered CommenterChuck Gillespie

    @Traci - that is such a great point about the schools marketing to the parents of the students. While I can understand that mindset, since many parents foot the bill, but today many, many students are the true finaniciers of their own education via student jobs and student loans.

    @Tracy - maybe T-Pain would help the music program. One think the hip-hop artists seem to have mastered is collaboration for creativity.

    @tcolson - so true that many schools only see the $$ coming from sponsors, donors, and grants. I understand that schools are under all kinds of financial pressure, but taking that out on students has to be the last option

    @Chuck - Funny! I was not even thinking about that, but it is a great point. I am not an expert on college president search, but I am going to watch this one closely to see what happens.

    Thanks all for reading and for sharing your thoughts, I really appreciate it.

    August 11, 2009 | Registered CommenterSteve

    great question. i was thinking of it from the angle of corporations involving employees in decision-making, something which happens far too infrequently. i love that the students took the situation into their own hand and got their opinions heard -- and perhaps considered -- whether they were in the room and on the search committee or not. to me, that's a great example of social media being a game-changer when it comes to listening. a company, or a campus, can listen directly...or they can listen indirectly. the choice is up to them. they'll just be more reactive when they choose the latter. f

    August 11, 2009 | Unregistered Commenterfran melmed

    Fran - those are great points. No longer can organizations of any type simply ignore employees/customers/community just because they might have something to say that the administration is not comfortable with or interested in hearing. These students drive home an important lesson for leaders and companies everywhere, that you have to be not only listening, but also prepared to interact and engage. Thanks very much for stopping by and sharing your comments.

    August 12, 2009 | Registered CommenterSteve

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