Improving a previous failure

The tally is in; the final piece of the puzzle in place; the last member selected. Here we are, once again, teetering on the edge as we peer down into the swirling abyss of ... candidates. According to IDS reports, IU School of Law Dean Lauren Robel was selected as the final member of the faculty search committee for IU President Adam Herbert's replacement. On a sympathetic note, I wonder if any faculty members suffered disappointment matching that of Marco Killingsworth (after not getting drafted into the NBA) as the final announcement came.\nNonetheless, we now stand to embark on a wonderful adventure. It is a search that will end in the finding of IU's next leader. \nOr will it? \nA pessimist may remember the recent search for Bloomington chancellor, which ended with lots of work and no progress. It may seem foolish that IU would again repeat the process, given its failure in that regard. This is not an unreasonable standpoint. After all, when an electric fence shocks a dog, what does that dog do? It stays the hell away from the fence -- and if it doesn't, we regard it as a very dumb dog. \nHowever, it is important that the IU family not be discouraged before the search even begins. Some very intelligent improvements have been made to the process this time around:\nFirst, IU board of trustees President Stephen Ferguson said there will be no completion date set for the search. Instead, it will culminate right where it should -- at the point when a qualified and willing candidate is found. Herbert, who is a very upstanding man (whatever you may say about his policies), said he would be willing to accept a smaller role at IU if that point comes before his contract expires in 2008.\nSecond, Herbert has recommended that the committee start as early as possible in the attempt to find his replacement. This is a recommendation that the search committee would do well to heed. While it would do little good to expect the search to fail, it is wise to prepare for the possibility that it might, as Herbert suggests. \nThese combined improvements give the committee two advantages. With little need to worry about the time constraints of a hurried search, the committee has time to thoroughly investigate each candidate and be sure that he or she is, indeed, the right person for the job. Hopefully, this will help to avoid another abandonment of the process and the candidates, as was the result of last year's chancellor search. Also, if the process breaks down and the committee stumbles, it will have time to regain its footing. \nPerhaps most importantly, the task that has been assigned to the committee is extremely important and the board of trustees understands this. Should a first attempt fail, the committee will have the support it needs to plunge into a second attempt undaunted.