OUR VIEW: Hall may leave a better university

Tuesday morning, President Kermit L. Hall interviewed for the president’s job at the University of Tennessee.

As of Tuesday afternoon, the list of candidates for that job was down to 10, originally consisting of 47, including former Utah State University President George Emert.

It isn’t realistic to tell President Hall that he shouldn’t take the job at Tennessee, if offered. The increase in prestige, challenge and pay are all factors that would make such an offer hard to turn down.

If he does get the job though, it would be a blow to USU to lose him.

When Hall took office in 2000, many of the changes and plans he brought with him were unpopular. One of the least popular decisions he made was to cut the College of Family Life in the midst of major budget cuts.

Desperate times called for desperate measures, however. Hall has guided USU through four years of budget cuts and has continued to carry the school toward better academic status. He has represented USU well in getting funding for a new library, getting USU in the Sun Belt Conference and later the Western Athletics Conference and perhaps most importantly, leading the initiative to increase the caliber of students admitted to USU.

Hall is a great president, but his time at USU may be in its final days. Whatever happens with his future, he has certainly laid the groundwork for a better university in Logan.