A few thoughts now about the UK presidency.

A few thoughts now about the UK presidency.

One, I think Dr. Todd has made a good president, and am sorry he has decided to resign. I wish he could be persuaded to stay on.

Two, I do not favor hiring a search firm to assist the board of trustees in finding his replacement. Such firms often are a waste money, and fail to do their jobs properly, because some suspect they are "head-hunting" for other groups at the same time; a conflict of interest in my book.

Let's remember the fiasco of only a few years ago in the search for a new state Commissioner of Education--or whatever the exact title was then-- when the firm failed to do its job of checking applicants' past history, had to go back and search again, and I think, was later sued by the state for its miserable job performance. (Lexington had similar problems finding a new library head.)

Now, each firm shouldn't necessarily be judged by that bad one but...

Three, I think members of the board, Dr. Todd himself, and top administration officials ought to know who a half dozen or so of the best candidates are already, without the use and expense of such a search firm. That, in my opinion, is part of their job.

Besides, I'll make the search a quick one.

Hire back Dr. David Roselle.

At least on an interim basis to give the search extra time, if not permanently. Now, I seriously doubt that he would take the job, given the way he was treated by the the state government and UK when he was president before, but he certainly earned my respect--and went right out of UK to the highest paid university presidency in the nation in a much bigger state, Delaware.

He's retired now, but only 70 or so (the "new 50.") Probably very happy in his new life, but some of us can dream.

The rest of the university family may put their faith in a "national search firm", but I am not one of them.

"I'm just sayin"