MUNCIE, Ind. - Ball State’s "excellent national reputation" in higher education makes it an attractive opportunity for presidential candidates, a group of Trustees were told last week.

Meeting as an executive committee of the Board of Trustees, board President Tom DeWeese, search committee Chairman Frank Bracken, committee member Greg Schenkel, and Trustee Hollis Hughes, heard presentations from three executive search firms seeking the job of identifying candidates for consideration.

"Ball State will be one of the five most attractive presidential searches in the country," said Ted Lewis, senior consultant for Academic Search, the firm that was awarded the contract.

"There will be great interest in this position," he said.

Academic Search, a non-profit agency that has conducted more than 400 university presidential searches, is the same firm that recommended John Worthen 16 years ago.

Trustees said they would be pleased if the firm found someone just like him again.

"We’d like a clone of John Worthen," said Bracken. "Someone who relates well to the community, legislature, alumni and faculty; someone who is interested in athletics and whose spouse is also actively involved in university and community affairs."

Lewis said he believes the search can be completed in 22 weeks. A 13-member campuswide search committee will consider the candidates identified by Academic Search and present the names of 3-4 finalists for board consideration in early spring. The firm will earn a flat fee of $42,000 plus travel expenses and $10,000 if Academic Search conducts the mailings.

Worthen said he will retire in June 2000.