Argus Leader Opinion (Pres. search)

[Rabbitlivinginverm]

> Not sure what they're fishing for here. I guess just trying to stir the pot...

OUR OPINION: Regents show arrogance with closed SDSU interviews

Editorial page staff
September 11, 2006



Here is the official word, as the state Board of Regents prepares to hire a new president – at possibly $300,000 a year – for South Dakota State University.

“There is no role for the media or public at large to provide input to the board,” says Robert “Tad” Perry, the regents’ executive director. “There is no value added as part of the deliberations.”

No value in public comment or involvement? No value?

The four finalists to replace President Peggy Miller, who will retire in December, will be at SDSU this Thursday and Friday, meeting with regents and groups that include administration, support staff, faculty, students and alumni.

But not the public.

Nor will the public have any idea what was discussed at those meetings, because the media also are banned.

Why? No value to public involvement, according to Perry and the regents.

What appalling arrogance!

What is your opinion? E-mail your letter to the editor to cbaldwin@argusleader.com and we'll publish it this week. Please include your full name, city and a day-time phone number so we can verify you sent it.

[jacksfaninne]

Re: Argus Leader Opinion (Pres. search)

The BOR might want to spend a little on some PR counsel for Mr. Perry. Those were some poorly chosen words he used.

[89rabbit]

Re: Argus Leader Opinion (Pres. search)

Off topic replies have been moved to [link=http://www.sdsufans.com/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1158000902]This Thread[/link]

[SoDak]

Re: Argus Leader Opinion (Pres. search)

The Argus gets it's panties in a wad at least a couple times a year when they don't get their way. I'd have been just as frank as Perry. The Regents don't need Beck or Baldwin's input in hiring a state employee.

[jackrabit1]

Re: Argus Leader Opinion (Pres. search)

And that's the clincher right there... the person they're hiring is a STATE EMPLOYEE. In other words, it's a personnel decision and not subject to "public" comment or input. Apparently the Argus is so wrapped up on this Rounds hunting thing, it goes overboard anytime there is a perceived slight.

I think the Argus is looking for boogeymen where there isn't any.

[filbert]

Re: Argus Leader Opinion (Pres. search)

I guess I'd say if you're hiring the highest-paid individual in the state, it wouldn't be a bad idea to have some kind of public input, just for P.R. purposes.

Heck, throw up a blog or a bulletin board and let people post comments!

Yes, it's fundamentally a personnel decision, but it's a really, really big personnel decision. It demonstrates once again the tin ear of South Dakota government to the realities of public relations. I'm right there bashing the press most of the time, but for heaven's sake, Perry went out of his way to wave a red handkerchief in front of them!

I'll give some consulting for free to Perry and the Regents:

Instead of saying:

“There is no role for the media or public at large to provide input to the board,”

how about:

The Regents understand the very high profile that the President of SDSU has in our state, and we welcome comments from the public on this and on all higher education issues facing South Dakota. But the decision is essentially a personnel decision--as such, privacy rules and laws do apply. We believe we have a list of four excellent candidates, and it will be a difficult decision to choose the one person to lead the state's largest university into the future.

Next question?

Still, the damage is, once again, done.

[jackrabit1]

Re: Argus Leader Opinion (Pres. search)

So in other words, both parties are to blame.... the Argus for getting a knotted up about what is essentially a personnel decision, and Tad for being too blunt and offending the Argus' delicate sensitivities.

[jacksfaninne]

Re: Argus Leader Opinion (Pres. search)

So in other words, both parties are to blame.... the Argus for getting a knotted up about what is essentially a personnel decision, and Tad for being too blunt and offending the Argus' delicate sensitivities.

It's called spin. Had he taken the personnel-decision path in first place, rather than the public-has-no-role, offers-nothing-of-value approach, it might have gone a little smoother. The media still wouldn't like being left out, but at least his comments might not have got as much negative attention.

[HoboD]

Re: Argus Leader Opinion (Pres. search)

The Argus is right on point. We NEED public input. It should be televised. Each candidate would come out and make a presentation, they should have 3 moderators (one woman, one minority, one sharp tongued Englishman) then everyone can vote on their cell phone. That Beck is a genious.

[jackrabit1]

Re: Argus Leader Opinion (Pres. search)

We could call it the newest reality show... "Who want's to be SDSU president?"

And every week they vote off someone that doesn't win the immunity challenge!

Sorry, you can't phone a friend either!

[SoDak]

Re: Argus Leader Opinion (Pres. search)

And, who knows just how blunt and obtuse Perry really was? Perry doesn't have a newspaper to tell his side. The poll on the Argus site right now is the very proof why the BOR don't need public input, or Argus input. 70% of respondants think the future President of SDSU shouldn't make any more money than the Presidents of any other state college in SD. Huh? SDSU has approximately 5000 more students than the next closest school. The Argus should be squawking about the Mayor's assistant hired recently for 100K a year if they're that bored. The dinosaur media, go figure.

[jackmd]

Re: Argus Leader Opinion (Pres. search)

And, who knows just how blunt and obtuse Perry really was?  Perry doesn't have a newspaper to tell his side.  The poll on the Argus site right now is the very proof why the BOR don't need public input, or Argus input.  70% of respondants think the future President of SDSU shouldn't make any more money than the Presidents of any other state college in SD.  Huh?  SDSU has approximately 5000 more students than the next closest school.  The Argus should be squawking about the Mayor's assistant hired recently for 100K a year if they're that bored.  The dinosaur media, go figure.  

It shouldn't suprise anyone that people voting in an Argus survey would be so naive as to suggest that the states only DI institution, largest university, and the flagship on a national seen have a president paid comparable to similar institutions in the US university system.  How embarassing.  I must admit when I made the decision to return to SD a lot of people asked me how I could stand it given some of the ridiculous, short-sighted decisions that have come out of this state.  I just smiled and explained how nice most of the people are, how safe its is, etc...

As for common sense, I'll use the results of this poll as an example.  Understanding it is a select population consisting of a larger proportion of morons than a typical sample of South Dakota residents.  The Argus = laughable.

On the other hand Tad Perry is pretty inexperienced and is probably looking for a little help.   :

[West_River_Jack]

Re: Argus Leader Opinion (Pres. search)

I know very little, perhaps nothing, of the qualifications required to be the president of a university.  Given my point of view I can think of nothing appropriate that the general public's participation in this process would offer which would make the process run smoother or the outcome better.  Can anyone else think of any value, specifics please, that the public's input would offer.

[Jacks99]

Re: Argus Leader Opinion (Pres. search)

I could understand having a faculty and student forum with the committee doing the search and selection, but direct contact would not be in the best interest of the process.

Besides, what's stopping anyone from writing letters to them or the Argus?

[filbert]

Re: Argus Leader Opinion (Pres. search)

Argus has a Terry Wooster story up:

http://www.argusleader.com/apps/pbcs...609120322/1001

I'm probably pushing the limits of "fair use" but here we go:

David Bordewyk, general manager of the South Dakota Newspaper Association, said he doesn't understand how a meeting that is open to students or faculty or alumni could be considered a closed meeting.

"I think (Regents President) Harvey Jewett is taking the open meeting law to Pluto, which isn't even a planet anymore," Bordewyk said. "I think what they propose stretches the open meeting law beyond where it can possibly be stretched."

Reporters attend such meetings to represent students, faculty and citizens who can't be at the sessions, he said.

Jewett said the various constituency groups are essentially subcommittees of the regents.

"What we don't want, honestly, is some beauty contest and a poll," he said. "It's not very helpful for the president when they walk on that campus. They need a little bit of a honeymoon. It's not very helpful to have every article start with, 'The third person in the unscientific poll arrived today to start their job.' We want these people to be open and candid. We want the various constituencies to be open and candid with us."

Bordewyk called that "upside-down" thinking.

"With a high-profile position at the state's largest public university, wouldn't you think you'd want the process to be as open as possible?" he asked.

Jewett disagreed.

"Remember, this is a personnel matter, and these are subcommittees of the regents, and personnel matters are privileged," he said. "Ultimately, the (board) selection has to be public, and everyone will say why they voted that way and how wonderful it is. But, you know, we need to have the interviews with those people be in that aura of privacy so we can get some answers."

Jewett added, "There's a reason why personnel matters are not in the newspaper, and to the extent that people talk, well, they talk. But we ask them not to be giving interviews. We ask them to treat this in a very serious manner, to give us their forthright impressions of these folks, but not make it a big public affair. And for the most part, people play it pretty straight."

Alex Halbach, SDSU student president and a senior political science major, has been a member of the search committee. He said he has tried, and he thinks the regents have tried, to provide as much information as possible to the public throughout the search.

. . .

"You get what you pay for, frankly," he said.

. . .

The presidents at South Dakota's public universities are expected to raise millions of dollars each year for projects ranging from building rehabilitation to new academic programs, Jewett said. He said Jim Abbott, president of the University of South Dakota for the past decade, has raised $140 million in outside funds during his tenure.

"Fourteen million dollars a year for $185,000 (salary). Is that OK? I think so," Jewett said. "It's tens of millions of dollars a year that these folks raise."

A much more balanced view (it's a news article after all, not an opinion piece).