Wanted: President for students

Stable is definitely not how I would describe the current situation at IU. This weekend, we lost yet another leader when President Adam Herbert announced his intended departure in 2008. Whether that's sad or glad news for you, the fact remains that the IU board of trustees will be searching -- again -- for a new face of the University.\nIn fact, IU hasn't been stable since I started here in 2002. A month after I came to IU, then-President Myles Brand announced he was leaving. We had a bland interim president for a while, then the board chose Adam Herbert to join in 2003. And now he's leaving -- along with the IU-Bloomington chancellor and the College of Arts and Sciences dean.\nThe fact is that good, stable leadership has been scarce at IU for a while. And though the most affected people are faculty and staff, students are affected, too. A constant change of leadership makes us think something is wrong with the institution we attend and love so dearly.\nWith that said, I propose four new traits the next IU president should have -- mainly for future students' sake. Students understand the president's job is a big one and that we have other leaders we can count on, like the dean of students, but the following points would have tremendously impacted my undergraduate experience.\nFirst, we want someone who is visible to students. Although Herbert was the most invisible of the three, the others weren't so present either. When I say "visible," I suggest just walking around campus for one hour every other week -- that enough would be an improvement. I also mean talking to student media, not just to the big-name newspapers and TV stations.\nSecond, the new president should have IU, or at least Indiana, roots. As a native Bloomingtonian, I think we've had enough outsiders for a while. Now is the time to hire someone who doesn't just know where Indiana is, but someone who loves and knows everything about it. If our president is proud of and excited about Indiana traditions, the students will be, too.\nThird, students want a president who is likable and has a good sense of humor. It's difficult to live up to the jovial Herman B Wells, but the last three presidents have the most anti-HBW personalities. Just as Americans want a likable person for their president, students want a likable person for theirs -- to minimize the pomp and circumstance and to represent what's fun at IU, too.\nLastly, we want someone who won't search for another job during his tenure. During my four years, this has been my experience. Someone comes in and changes a lot, but we quickly find out they never intended to stay at IU for very long. Students need a president who actually wants to be here, who wants to make a lasting impact at IU, and not just administratively.\nI know these aren't the primary traits to look for in a new president, but given a choice, they should be the deciding factors. Future IU students deserve better than what I got.