On June 30, Terry Hickey will retire from his position as provost at UCF.
The final four candidates to replace Hickey will start their open meetings today. James Coleman's meeting is today at 3:15 p.m. in Teaching Academy Room 117.
You should attend at least one, if not all, of the open meetings. These sessions are the perfect place to learn about and participate in the process of hiring a provost.
The position of provost can also be explained as the chief academic administrator on campus. The person the search committee chooses to replace Hickey will be the second most powerful person at UCF. He will have a tremendous say in what occurs at UCF while he holds the position.
It is great to hear students talk and complain about decisions made by the UCF administration. It means that you are aware of the things going on around you and care enough to comment on them. It is frustrating, though, when complaints come without an effort to change the issue being discussed.
Once this new provost is hired, you should not complain that you know nothing about him. Instead, go the extra mile and investigate the options for the future provost.
Doing so can't hurt you. You are not required to participate in the sessions. If you don't feel comfortable asking questions, then you can just listen to what these men have to say about your school.
But if you can find the time to attend, then feel free to ask questions. The only dumb question is the one not asked. Perhaps the topic you need clarification on will be something the search committee has overlooked.
You shouldn't complain that the new provost is not the best man for the job without playing your part in the decision making process.
All the meetings will take place from 3:15 p.m. to to 4:45 p.m in the Teaching Academy Room 117. Richard DeMillo's meeting is Thursday, Raymond Alden's meeting is April 26 and Tony Waldrop's meeting is April 29.
If you can't attend the meetings, we will be there. Check the next issue of the newspaper and our website at UCFNews.com for recaps of the sessions.
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