Friday, March 23, 2007

Ivy Tech Chooses Snyder

Ivy Tech's Board of Trustees chose businessman Thomas Snyder to replace Gerald Lamkin as president of the community college system. The vote was 10-3. The no votes were from trustees who believed the trustees were shortchanged when Vice President Carol D'Amico was overlooked by the selection committee as one of the finalists for consideration. I have my doubts about whether the governor's office is truly surprised by this outcome. The Star's Stacy Hupp writes:

Carol D'Amico, a former aide to President Bush, is Ivy Tech's executive vice president. She has close ties to Gov. Mitch Daniels.

A number of the governor's supporters waged a vigorous but mostly behind-the-scenes campaign to get D'Amico reconsidered, but without success.

Ironically, Snyder is the candidate who was told by the governor's office his chances were slim to none because another candidate was favored by the governor. Many presume the candidate was D'Amico, but I find it hard to believe the governor's office couldn't at least ensure she was on the list of finalists.

Fellow blogger Ruth Holladay suggests this might not be the end of the matter for D'Amico. Holladay thinks D'Amico was overlooked simply because she's a woman. She also suggests D'Amico has sought legal advice. Holladay writes:

Is Carol D'Amico a victim of Ivy Tech College's "good old boy" system? Apparently one board member has said, off the record, that the word is out -- a woman will never run the huge, powerful community college campus.

The board is expected to choose Thursday from the two finalists, Thomas J. Snyder and Thomas D. Klincar -- neither of whom have the academic credentials, experience or the Indiana ties of D'Amico.

Whatever the decision, supposedly whomever is chosen will be whisked out of the media glare for the time being. As for D'Amico, she wasn't born yesterday. She already has her lawyers lined up, ready to take action on her behalf.

The process is discouraging, since the community college system has been run in the past more as a private club with heavy political ties. Once again, Indiana's face is red.

3 comments:

  1. Anonymous7:54 AM EST

    I would hope they wouldn't be so stupid as to pull the "good ole boy" crap, but I see it myself in my own company!

    If it is discrimination, then she should have at it, but keep in mind it is a double edged sword. As George Orwell wrote in "Animal Farm", "All animals are equal but some animals are more equal than others."

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  2. Anonymous12:28 PM EST

    Carol is a right-wing educational idelaogue...and her co-workers are not all that thrilled with her sometimes. She's not a nice woman. Mitch and his buddies love her because they despise public education at every level.

    It was smart to go outside the system.

    Ivy Tech is a beehive of insider crony deals. Bob Garton, Pat Bauer, how many other make-work jobs to legislators have at Ivy Tech?

    It is time to change that system.

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  3. Anonymous2:50 PM EST

    I suspect that it was D'Amico's idealogy and agenda that caused her to be passed over.

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