Out with the old, in with a new president

The search has officially begun.

Over the summer, the Presidential Search Committee was formed, with its sole task being to find Slippery Rock University's next leader.

Current president, Robert Smith, announced last spring that he will be retiring from SRU in January 2012, an announcement that stunned many, and saddened us all.

Over the years, we've all gotten to know President Smith pretty well.

We see him riding around campus on his Segway, always greeting everyone with a smile.

We've listened to numerous speeches, beginning with our orientations, all of which included his patented catch phrase, "It's a great time to be at Slippery Rock University!"

President Smith held fast to those words, even during the bleak moments.

Through every obstacle in the construction of the new student center, which was proposed in 2003 and is set to open in February 2012, President Smith stayed optimistic.

He continuously fought for the building, which is why it was officially christened the Robert M. Smith Student Center earlier this month.

Through Pennsylvania Governor Tom Corbett's proposed budget in May that cut state funding of PASSHE schools by 50 percent, President Smith played a large role in advocacy efforts. Thankfully, only 18 percent of the state funding to PASSHE schools was actually cut.

And President Smith is there now, during contract negotiations between PASSHE and the union that represents our professors, APSCUF.

What we are trying to say is that President Smith's successor, whoever he or she may be, has large shoes to fill.

The question, now, is who will be asked to fill those shoes?

We hope that whoever steps up to the challenge shares some of the same qualities as President Smith, as well as some unique qualities of their own.

We think the next president of SRU should be multilingual.

That might seem like a large demand, but we think it's necessary. The next president must be able to speak several different languages, from administrator-speak, to professor-speak, to media-speak, to student-speak.

Without those credentials, he or she won't be able to communicate with the entire campus family, which is essential to being a great president.

The new president must also be honest.

We don't want to hear any sugar-coated comments or see any dancing around the tough subjects.

We want the truth. We can handle it.

Creativity is another quality that is a must for the next president of SRU.

We want to see someone with new, innovative, unique ideas to solve not only the big problems, but the everyday ones, as well.

Come up with a solution to our parking struggles, the lack of quarter machines in the dorms or our non-existent snow days, and you'll earn some major brownie points with most students.

Come up with a unique way to bring down the cost of tuition, books, meals or basically anything we have to pay for and we'll love you forever.

Last, but certainly not least, the next leader of our fine institution must have a signature mode of transportation.

We don't want to just see him or her merely walking around campus. The next president must be just as recognizable as President Smith.

Here's an idea we'd just like to throw out there. The Segway has become so synonymous with President Smith that it would be a shame to see it leave, as well.

Perhaps President Smith could hand the Segway down to his successor, as a passing of the torch, but in this case, it would be a passing of the Segway.

Just a thought for President Smith to consider.