Brand looks to future, addresses summer issues

Addressing issues from a tumultuous summer at IU, President Myles Brand said Tuesday that changes are under way at the University, including an international search for a new chancellor, more stringent rules for coach Bob Knight and some administrative layoffs.\nThe Departure of Gros Louis\nStarting the controversial summer was the May 10 announcement by Bloomington Chancellor Kenneth Gros Louis that he will retire effective June 20, 2001. His impending departure will mark the end of 36 years of service to the campus, including 21 years as the campus chief executive. \n"Chancellor Gros Louis has done a remarkable job over a very long period of time," Brand said. "He helped shape the campus and helped it achieve its current level of success." \nBrand said his ideal candidate for the position must meet stringent criteria. \n"We will spend this year searching for someone who ... can communicate as well with faculty and students," he said. "We want someone with strong academic credentials. We want someone who is as knowledgeable about these very special kinds of research-oriented public universities."\nBrand said the administration has put together an international search committee to fill the position; a search Brand said is "totally open." He said there are no front-runners and that the search team, mostly faculty members, is just beginning to look for Gros Louis' successor. The focus of the search is not whether the office will be filled by an individual from inside or outside the current faculty, but on what Brand described as finding the "right person for the job." \n"We put together an excellent search committee, under the direction of (Vice President for Research and Graduate School Dean) George Walker ... a large search committee that has representation from a number of constituencies," Brand said. "I'm quite confident that the search committee will be able to identify the high-level candidates we are looking for."\nThe Bob Knight decision\nAnother prominent campus figure to turn the campus tide this summer was basketball coach Bob Knight. Allegations of abuse presented to the administration by former player Neil Reed sparked controversy as to whether Knight should be terminated for improper behavior and his much-scrutinized temper. A CNN/SI report released in early April showed a video tape of a practice session showed Knight grabbing Reed by the neck.\nBrand said his initial reaction to the tape was that Knight's behavior was inappropriate, but that he felt the tape itself did not provide enough evidence to terminate Knight's contract.\n"We had not seen the tape when CNN/SI initially made the accusations," Brand said. "We gave (the tape) to an FBI forensics expert. He came back to us and reported that Neil Reed was not harmed ... that Coach Knight was not pulled off of Reed by two other coaches and that the entire incident lasted approximately two seconds." \nAlthough Brand said he did not feel the tape fully backed up Reed's allegations, he said he felt "the sticking out of Coach's hand was entirely inappropriate."\nAlthough Brand said he and the board of trustees believed Knight's behavior was at times out of line, he acknowledged the administration did play a part in Knight's detrimental actions by sometimes allowing his actions to go unchecked.\n"I believe that the University could have taken other actions 10 or 20 years ago that would have changed the current situation. But the fact of the matter is that they did not," Brand said.\nBrand speculated that the reason Knight had not been reprimanded in the past was because of Knight's traditional coaching style and values; both of which Brand said have changed in the public eye during the past 20 years.\n"I think the media in part was making the point that Coach Knight represents a traditional way of dealing with people and players," Brand said. "And while they (the media) understood and always mentioned that he succeeded in graduating players and that he runs a clean program, they acknowledge that he had not changed with the cultural times."\nBrand said the international media attention the issue received was at times disturbing. That, combined with the nearly 5,000 letters and e-mails he received regarding Knight, gave him much to think about. Despite outside influences, he said his decision was based on "moral and ethical grounds," and that the entire incident was a "no-win situation."\nUltimately, Brand said he is confident the zero-tolerance policy will be successful.\n"I do believe that he has the integrity and the willpower to meet the very tight restrictions," he said. "It's now up to him."\nIssues on the horizon\nLooking to the future for the fall semester, Brand said the administration's agenda includes not only the search for the new chancellor, but the University's budget.\n"Even though the economy for the state is sound, it will be a very tight budget," Brand said. "One of my objectives this year (is that) within that constrained budget environment, Indiana University is well supported."\nThe budget will require the administration to explore different tactics to save and create more funding sources, he said, including a possible increase in tuition.\n"There's always a raise in tuition," Brand said. "But we will be working very hard to keep the tuition down."\nHe said he hopes to keep the tuition increase low by evaluating and ratifying administration support services. These services include business offices, financial aid, purchasing, human resources and other nonacademic aspects of the University budget.\n"We are, with the aid of a consultant, trying to find ways to provide those services with a higher quality for a lower cost," Brand said. "We hope to re-invest those savings toward the academic mission of the IU campuses."\nBrand acknowledged the consolidating and reworking of the support services might require layoffs in departments across campus. He said the detrimental impacts of the potential terminations will be lessened by the slow progression of the position cuts.\n"It will take us several years to implement this program, and we fully expect to do it through natural job changes," Brand said. "We envision no rifts, but we may do things differently in the future."\nAfter answering student questions and concerns about events of the summer and the future of the University, Brand said he wanted to encourage the student body to take advantage of collegiate opportunities and to enjoy their time in Bloomington.\n"I would like the students to succeed academically, I would like them to enjoy their college experience," Brand said. "If I had just one piece of advice to give them, it would be to explore the intellectual environment. At no other time in their lives are so many opportunities going to be available. Just explore and take advantage of it"