EDITORIAL: Blindsided
Lack of transparency in coach search is disappointing
It's been nearly two weeks since the departure of Former Head Football Coach Dan Enos, yet several questions remain unanswered.
Has anyone interviewed for the job?
When will our new coach be hired?
What are the requirements to be a head football coach at our university?
Your questions are the same as ours. On Tuesday the Central Michigan University Athletics Department told Central Michigan Life there were no updates on the status of the search, and that we shouldn't expect any until there is a hire.
Ever since Enos left for the University of Arkansas, the Athletics Department has been almost silent. They have kept to themselves not only the names of candidates, but details about the hiring process, job criteria and a time frame for the hiring.
Students and sports fans deserve to be informed about the search process. The lack of transparency displayed by the Athletics Department throughout the search is unnecessary and insulting.
Wanting to protect names early on in a search is understandable. However, information such as criteria and general impressions of candidates pose no threat or embarrassment to candidates.
The lack of information about the search is another example in a growing history of the Athletics Department's unwillingness to have a productive relationship with the press – and the public.
It is ironic to note that fans were made aware of the interview process for the recent hire of the Detroit Lions Head Coach Jim Caldwell. A privately-owned NFL team with no obligation to divulge candidates or interview information was more transparent than our public university whose new coach will be paid with thousands of tax payer's dollars.
It would be inexplicable for the university to hire a new dean for the Central Michigan University College of Medicine without first presenting candidates to the campus community.
While a medical school dean serves a more important role at the university, the new head coach will be decidedly more visible to students, alumni and the community.
Enos was criticized for appearing aloof and inept at being the face of the football program. His replacement will be responsible for mending relationships with students and the community and for garnering excitement for the new football season.
A head coach does not come cheap. Enos cost the university $360,000 a year and his replacement may demand even more. How can the department ask students and fans to invest time, loyalty and money while simultaneously keeping them in the dark about who will be the new face of their most popular team?
The Athletics Department's decision to withhold information from the public spotlight does nothing to negate the negative reputation it gained during the Enos era. If a candidate truly does not wish to present himself to the CMU sports community, that is not a candidate our school should be interested in.
It's time for the Athletics Department to turn call a new play – showing some transparency and putting a timeline on the search.
Give us something to cheer about.
