MUNCIE, Ind. – Three former Ball State University presidents joked, laughed and smiled Tuesday as they recalled their days as campus leaders.

For nearly an hour in the Alumni Center, John Worthen, John Pruis and Richard Burkhardt captivated a crowded room as they touched upon the good and bad times of their administrations.

With new Ball State President Blaine Brownell paying close attention, the three former administrators touched on topics ranging from canceling classes to attracting talented faculty.

Burkhardt drew laughter when told the audience the subtitle to a hypothetical book written about his presidency would be, "The Canopy Over the Commencement Platform."

With a smirk on his face, he called it the highlight of his presidency in 1978-79.

"There are lots of things that presidents do," said Worthen, referring to Pruis’ canopy decision. "But, some of the trivial decisions have the longest lasting effects."

On a not so trivial matter, Worthen and Pruis agreed that canceling classes in times of bad weather can be laughed about now, but the decision years ago was agonizing.

"I just wished I had never mentioned putting another muffler on," joked Worthen, referring to a bitterly cold day when he refused to cancel classes.

He also recalled a discussion in the Administration Building with a female student who complained bitterly about walking through snow in dangerously freezing temperatures.

"I asked her what people in Maine and Minnesota do in this type of weather, explaining that they just go on," said Worthen, who was president from 1984-2000. "Then I later found out that the governor of Minnesota had canceled classes for the day."

Pruis jokingly laid the blame for one snow day on Richard McKee, his executive assistant.

"Then we looked out the windows on a terribly bad day and saw two students pulling a sled filled with cases of beer," he said.

The forum took a less jovial tone when the former presidents recalled an effort in the late 1960s through the early 1970s to end a salary schedule format in favor of a more equitable market-based system.

Pruis and Burkhardt both remembered how they battled the antiquated wage salary schedule for years. The system based faculty pay on the number of years in service and job titles.

"We were hiring people as full professors who had been assistant professors at other colleges," said Worthen, who came to Ball State after the antiquated system was eliminated. "We had to do something to attract people from places where salaries were higher."

All the presidents agreed the university could not attract and retain the best faculty without the ability to pay a wage based on the current job market.

"Ball State would not be the place it is today if we couldn’t keep and attract the best people to teach," Pruis said of the controversial issue. "I broached the issue in 1968 and it was a lightning rod."

Brownell, 57, listened closely to the stories during the one-hour session. He has been on the job since July and will be officially inaugurated Dec. 1 during ceremonies in Emens Auditorium.

"At any inauguration, it is a time when people think about change and doing something new," Brownell said. "It also signals for a look at the past and an opportunity to offer advice for a new administration.

"We are a fairly young university and I am only the 12^th president," he said. "I’ve learned a great deal and a sense of perspective about the university’s history."

The forum was part of a series of presidential inaugural events this week.

By Marc Ransford, Communications Manager

TOPICS AND QUOTES FROM THE PRESIDENTS' FORUM

What personal principles  guided your presidency?

Pruis: “What I tried to do was to figure out what was best for the university and then work with senior staff to fix the problem.”

Worthen: “I wanted to be perceived as a decisive leader. But, you put yourself up for criticism if you don’t take advice. Faculty and staff are great advisors. Any successful president must listen.”

Burkhardt: “We had little discretionary money then. Nevertheless, it was possible to see that there were other people at the university besides the president and faculty who needed a little help. We tried to get it to them.”

If you were going to write your autobiography, what would be the title of the book?

Worthen: “I would say, 'John Worthen: Technology.' Anything else would disappoint this crowd.”

Pruis: “Was it Only 10 Years?”

On joining the Mid-American Conference

Pruis: I sensed in the faculty and the student body that they were happy to be associated with the Miamis, Ohios and the other schools.

What was the importance of establishing the Human Performance Lab and hiring David Costill to run it? This was the first Ball State program to get national and international recognition.

Burkhardt: “(David) Costill’s appointment was an early and important one. It brought great recognition to the university.”

Worthen: “Someone in purchasing went over to the lab to find out why they needed a $600 bike for research. He came back and told us that not only was the bike overpriced, but it didn’t have any wheels.”

Pruis: “Costill could have gone anywhere he wanted but he liked Ball State. The spirit of the Ball State community has always been strong and helps keep good people.

Burkhardt: The Board of Trustees was very supportive and offered to build a first-class building for him. But, all he wanted was a little expansion.”

On switching from quarters to semesters:

Pruis: “It didn’t happen on my watch. (But) we tried.”

Worthen: “I think it has been a positive change.. not much of a fall out. I think it was good that we did it.”

Is this the Ball State of 2000 that you imagined?

Pruis: “Ball State has gone way beyond my expectations.”

Burkhardt: “Back when I came here, we were growing rapidly. We thought we’d have 25,000 students by now. It has changed and changed dramatically.”