Board looking to 're-energize' IMU position

The Indiana Memorial Union is searching for a new executive director after the resignation of Director Loren Rullman.\nThom Simmons, former associate director of the IMU has taken the position of interim director.\nRullman ended his two-year term as the IMU executive director in December to take a position in Ann Arbor, Mich.\n"Rullman will be in charge of the Union and resident operations at the University of Michigan," said Dean of Students Richard McKaig. "He moved up a level on the career ladder by taking that position."\nIMU officials are beginning the search while Simmons takes the lead as interim director for the spring semester. \n"If plans go as followed, by March, applications for the position will be received," McKaig said. "Then we will search and screen all candidates, and by either July 1 or August 1 we should have a new director selected."\n"The ideal candidate for the position of director has to recognize the importance of history and tradition at IU," McKaig said. \nUnion Board President Sarah McDonough said it is important for students have a sense of belonging at the IMU, and the new director should be someone who promotes this.\n"We want a director like Rullman that sees the Union as a home away from home," McDonough said. "As a board member, we want the IMU to be the student's union and we need to find someone that can embody this concept."\nMcDonough said the new executive director at the IMU will have a wide range of responsibilities, which include overseeing the budget, hotel, catering, maintenance services and more.\nEmma Cullen, 2006 Union Board president, had the opportunity to work with Rullman, who promoted changes at the IMU. Cullen said that Rullman was the driving force behind the Whittenberger Auditorium renovation and the Starbucks addition at the Union. There are still some areas that need improvement, she added.\nMcKaig said the bowling alley needs renovations, there are still dead spots for Internet service, and Union food services need to be focused primarily on student choice. He added that they are looking for a director who can "re-energize" student activity in the Union.\n"In the world of college unions, the IMU is a significant place and remains one of the largest unions in the country," he said. "We want a director that can understand the tradition and significance the Union has here at IU"