Eric Novak, Columnist
As the school year marches on and graduation comes closer and closer, a lot of questions have started running through my mind. Self-absorbed questions aside, I find myself constantly wondering who’s going to take over for President Wilson now that he’s announced his retirement?
A university without a president is much like a car without a paint job. It can still function and perform its basic functions, but it lacks a presence that makes it unique and something special.
President Wilson has served this function for Illinois Wesleyan University for as long as he’s been president; but for his reasons, and his reasons alone, he has decided to begin writing a new chapter in the book of Wilson, and it is one we shall all wish him well on. While we wish him well, we must turn our attention to the subject of his replacement.
When looking for a new president for a private liberal arts college, there are a few characteristics that I would like to see kept in mind for the university, the first of these being a clear understanding of the thoughts and feelings of the student body itself.
This not only means that this hypothetical president cares about students deeply, but also understands what it is like to be a student here at Illinois Wesleyan. It is by this reason that I put forth Dr. David Timmerman as a candidate for the President of Illinois Wesleyan University.
He is the father of a very recent alumnus, Mark Timmerman, who undeniably left a lasting imprint on this school.
Since Dr. Timmerman is the father of a recent alumnus, he will have intimate knowledge of what it is like to be a student in the contemporary Wesleyan ecosystem, colloquially known as the “Wesleyan Bubble.”
Even alumni of the school wouldn’t have the knowledge of how it currently works unless they had a child that was recently enrolled in some capacity.
Dr. Timmerman has this unique, student-informed view of Illinois Wesleyan that is invaluable to the further development of this university, given that its purpose is to give its students the skills to succeed beyond the university level. This is a second characteristic I would like to see kept in mind in the search for our next president.
People might think that it would make sense to hire from within the university, but I think it would make sense to get someone with a fresh perspective – someone who hasn’t been at the university too long to become complacent and accustomed to how things have been going.
Dr. Timmerman is a great example of this because he has intimate ties to the university’s inner workings from his son’s recent attendance there.
At the same time, he hasn’t attended the university himself, making him the perfect person to effect change in this environment.
As we give our car some necessary repainting, it is vital that we pick a coat that represents the people and the values at Illinois Wesleyan. There is no better paint than Dr. David Timmerman; the man, the myth and potential Wesleyan legend.