East Carolinian

Issue date: 1/27/09 Section: News

Media Credit: staff photo

Chancellor Steve Ballard and his wife Nancy visited Kansas State University's campus on Thursday and Friday in Topeka, Kans. after Ballard was invited to be one of three candidates to fill the university's presidential position.

Although executive director of university communications John Durham says that the decision is "weeks away," if Ballard is selected for the position, he would begin on or around July 1, 2009, according to a news release sent out last week by the Kansas Board of Regents, a governing board for the six state universities in Kansas. The Board said in the same release that their decision will be made early this year.

However, Durham says that any speculation is "premature" right now, and that Ballard is back in Greenville this week.

"He's back on the campus this week and seems to be in great spirits," Durham said.

Ballard, who has been at ECU since 2004, said in his application letter to KSU that financially and physically ECU has flourished since he began at the university.

"Today, we have the resources to fuel our future and we focus our resources on those activities that make the biggest difference. We are the fastest growing university, by far, among the 17 campuses of the University of North Carolina. Enrollment growth is fully funded in North Carolina and is the foundation for our sustainability. We have grown from 22,000 to 27,700 students and envision 35,000 by 2015," he said.

Ballard-who held the position of provost of academic affairs at the University of Missouri-Kansas City in 2001-has not commented on the status of the search.

The third and final candidate for the presidential position at KSU was on the campus yesterday, and will be there today as well.



This writer can be contacted at editor@theeastcarolinian.com.

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