Barely a couple of weeks have passed since Vice President for External Affairs Reid Crawford announced his resignation from the post. In that time, President Martin Jischke has appointed Murray Blackwelder to the position on an interim basis while a search for a permanent director is enacted.

On top of finding a speedy interim replacement for Crawford, Jischke also chose a qualified person for the position. Blackwelder is no stranger to Iowa State.

He has been the associate vice president for external affairs and the president of the ISU foundation. Under his direction, the Partnership for Prominence Campaign earned a record $75 million in its final year.

Jischke said he hopes to have the position filled permanently by the first of the year, which would be another speedy selection. But at least in the mean time the position is in good hands.

So often when it comes time to select new administrators, the university takes an extraordinary amount of time to fill the positions — but not this time.