My college’s newspaper, The Ithacan, offered a history lesson today about the last time Ithaca College searched for a president. The experience was far from pleasant, with faculty revolting against the search process and students and staff displeased about their representation.

If history is any guide, my alma mater might be headed down that same path. Last week when Board of Trustees chairman Bill Schwab announced the committee’s composition, it resembled the exact makeup of the 1996 search committee: seven trustees, three faculty, one senior-level administrator, one staff member and one student.

The Ithacan, after reminding the campus of the controversy resulting from the last search, called on the faculty to put up a fight against this one.

Ten years ago, the faculty council developed a case strong enough to delay the search by months. What they now face is a second chance to take a leading role in steering the institution.

Criticizing policy and rising to change it are two distinctly different concepts. The faculty should fight not only for more weight on the search committee, but also for the power to choose their own representatives.

The few faculty members I consulted about the search process had mixed views. One told me it was just a matter of time before the faculty organized in opposition. Another said the campus climate had changed to such an extent that a revolt comparable to 1996 would be unlikely.

As someone who represents alumni as vice president on the Alumni Association Board of Directors, my hope is that we’ll have strong alumni representation on the search committee. Without a dedicated alumni seat, we must put our faith in the Board of Trustees to choose the alumni among them. The 1996 search featured five alumni on the committee. I hope we can do better this time.