Potential hiring shows respect to fair process
March 9, 2010
In the past few years, UK has had to fill several high-level administration positions, which required interviewing and bringing in several qualified candidates.
Each time, UK has publicized the opening, made general interviews available to the public, and let campus and the larger UK community know exactly what is going on.
Robert Mock Jr., is the latest of these well-qualified candidates to come to UK and interview. The result — Mock has been invited to negotiate for the position as vice president for Student Affairs.
According to a Feb. 26 Kernel article, Provost Kumble Subbaswamy said in an e-mail to the Kernel he has invited Mock back to campus to discuss negotiations for the job. Although nothing has been finalized, Subbaswamy said in a separate e-mail that Mock has the “background, energy, enthusiasm, and innovative thinking necessary to lead Student Affairs at this challenging time.”
The hiring process UK has adopted should be applauded, because it is going after the best candidates regardless of race, ethnicity, culture or background. The goal isn’t to arbitrarily fill a position, but rather to bring in an individual best suited for UK.
In the case of Mock, he comes from a Southeastern Conference school, has dealt with a tobacco ban and is involved with Greek life, and will be able to hit the ground running if negotiations pan out.
With recent administration hirings like J.J. Jackson, and now Mock, along with the Provost, dean of students and other high-ranking minorities in the administration, UK is showing a top-down commitment to diversity.
Specifically, these hirings help UK and its goals for recruiting and retention purposes, which have been on the UK agenda for quite some time.
Transparency throughout the process has allowed campus to give valuable input and feel as if the administration isn’t just hiring people that will suit their purposes, rather than the needs of the university.
Too often, dealings of this nature are done behind closed doors and individuals are hired based on who they know and not their merit. It may not be “official,” but UK committing to Mock shows its commitment to practicing what it preaches.
