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: