MUNCIE — Paul Ferguson discarded and never replaced Jo Ann Gora's "Education Redefined" tagline when he succeeded her as president of Ball State University.
Provost Terry King, who was named acting president on Monday after Ferguson's mysterious and possibly forced resignation, is employing an unofficial tagline that could sum up Ball State's identity for the next four to six months — "keeping the momentum going."
He used it in an electronic "Dear Colleague" letter he sent to BSU employees on Wednesday and again in an interview with The Star Press during which he dispelled some rumors, said the university was operating smoothly and showed a sense of humor.
"The way I look at this is the university right now has tremendous momentum," King said in a telephone interview from the president's office into which he partially has moved. "There are a lot of great things happening on campus. My first priority is to ensure that this great momentum continues. The faculty are doing wonderful work, the students are engaged and excited and we have good relationships with the community. So that's where I'm going to put my attention for the next week or so and make sure things move smoothly."
The university board of trustees' unwillingness to say why Ferguson left has fueled speculation of a looming budgetary/monetary/enrollment crisis and that Julie Hopwood, the senior adviser Ferguson brought with him to Ball State from the University of Maine, will be the next to go.
"Absolutely not" true is King's response to those rumors and conjecture that the university is operating in crisis mode. "As I said, the faculty are doing a wonderful job, the students are engaged, as long as they go to class, that is, and our partnerships with the community are quite strong, So everything is moving along smoothly. I'm looking out my window right now at students going to class."
"As you will hear on Friday when the trustees meet and hear a report from our enrollment folks, it's up, applications are up, admits are up, and the confirmeds are up," King said of fall 2016 enrollment. "Right now is obviously very early in the cycle, but I'm optimistic."