I couldn't stay quiet after I heard today's latest announcement: Michigan State University has named Provost Lou Anna Simon as the new president, beginning January, 2005. She'll be replacing M. Peter MacPherson, who I imagine will be shilling for the GOPpers post-retirement.
I have mixed feelings about this. On the one hand, it's nice that they appointed a woman president, and one with a prior relationship to campus. On the other, the ruthless yet half-assed plan for the liberal arts reorganization doesn't leave me with a good feeling. My reliable sources, including Blackie Squirrel and Quackers the Carbo-holic Duck (who are big fans of Lumpy the Mongoose, longtime contributor to Pesky the Rat), are absolutely flabbergasted at the abbreviated search, especially after the "we're having a big search" announcement that came out after MacPherson's commencement announcement. Quackers particularly says that the faculty are either completely befuddled or pissed off. Blackie's rival, Chirpy the Red Squirrel, says that rumors have been circulating for months that this would be the actual outcome, and the liberal arts organization was something to put on her resume so they could point to it as an "accomplishment."
