Ball state quiet about future of school's president

MUNCIE -- Ball State trustees discussed university President Blaine Brownell's contract during a weekend retreat, but are not saying whether it will be extended when it expires in June.\nSeven of the university's nine trustees attended a three-day retreat over the weekend in French Lick as talk circulated on campus that some board members want to oust Brownell, who became Ball State's president in July 2000.\nBrownell referred questions about the meeting to Heather Shupp, the university's communications director.\n"The board and the president are working together effectively for the benefit of the institution," Shupp told The Star Press for a story Tuesday.\nAsked when an announcement about the contract would be made, Shupp said, "I can't say."\nTrustee Greg Schenkel of Indianapolis said board members would not discuss the matter in public.\n"We just don't comment on personnel matters," Schenkel said.\nThe board has meetings scheduled for Nov. 14 and Dec. 19, while Brownell's contract expires June 30.\nThe talk among faculty members was that some trustees believed Brownell was not committed enough to expanding the school's football stadium, the newspaper reported, and that questions had been raised about the time he spent traveling.\n"It's good news if these rumors are false, because I think the president is popular among faculty," said Daniel Reagan, a political science professor. "He has shown some serious commitment to supporting the academic mission of the university."\nBrownell came to the 18,000-student campus from the University of Memphis, where he had been executive director of the Center for International Programs and Services. He also had been provost at the University of North Texas in Denton.