TRUE FACT: The Colorado State University System recently proclaimed Amy Parsons the sole finalist for the position of President at Colorado State University at Fort Collins. Some professors there are distressed that the Search Committee did not invite multiple candidates to visit the campus to meet with faculty, staff, and students (Chronicle of Higher Education, December 12th online).
Relax, Fort Collins.
Things could be worse.
Consider the plight of Hawaii’s Mauna Loa Community College (MLCC), which is located on the slope of Mauna Loa, one of the world’s largest active volcanos. When MLCC recently sought to hire a new President, only one person even applied for the job.
“It’s a damn shame,” says Search Committe Chair Vincent Flahela. “We have a beautiful campus, except when it’s being consumed by molten lava flowing down the mountain. Sure, it can be a bit disconcerting to watch a desk, whiteboard, classmate, or colleague turn bright orange and melt right in front of you. But isn’t higher education all about embracing challenges? The fact that we only had one applicant shows how risk-averse aspiring administrators are in today’s ‘woke’ environment. We were prepared to offer a free hazmat suit to every candidate we invited to campus, but it didn’t make a difference. The only person who ended up submitting a CV was the Provost at Minefields Academy in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.”
At least Mauna Loa had one applicant. Werewolf State University in Esmond, North Dakota had none when it advertised for a new President earlier this year. According to Board Chair Millicent Paw, “candidates get turned off when they find out that nearly 85% of our student body consists of werewolves, and that our last President was savagely attacked while taking an evening walk. But what sort of idiot goes out alone for a midnight stroll on a werewolf-filled campus when there’s a full moon? I’m sorry, but high-level administrators need more sense than that.”
Count your blessings, Fort Collins.