A lot of students, faculty and staff speculated that Don Bachand would become the next president, and as it turns out, they were right.

Bachand beat out other candidates who had lots of great ideas to bring to the university.

The Board of Control favored him over others in a large part because of his experience he’s had with SVSU and his understanding of the campus culture.

With 35 years of being employed at the university, it’s evident Bachand has a good understanding of the miniature details that allow this university to run smoothly.

I might not always agree with hiring internally and spending thousands of dollars to hear others’ input when the candidate who was going to be selected was already determined, but I’m certain Bachand will do a good job.

It would also appear that much of the campus community would agree.

All four candidates would contribute exceptionally to a position as president, but from where the university stands today and the issues surrounding it, the Board saw an internal candidate being able to lead the institution into the next stages.

Bachand certainly has what it takes to lead us through this next year with the Higher Learning Commission coming to campus in April and preparing the next university budget. His experience can ensure that we have steady successes throughout these processes.

He will likely continue the goals set forth by former President Eric Gilbertson and work for the betterment of the institution in multiple avenues.

We’ve seen the university change a lot with Gilbertson in the spotlight: new buildings, new generations and a new culture. We can only hope to see many of these changes continue as President Bachand takes the stage.

While we might not see as many changes as the external candidates may have spoken of at the institution, we will definitely see shifts in focus in the coming years.

We’re at a time where retention, branding, and student satisfaction with the institution is vital. With shrinking high school class sizes, the 15 public institutions are competing for a smaller, more diverse pool. We aren’t expected to see another growth in the student body until 2020. Therefore, we better expect that Bachand can handle these issues properly.

With a new president, we need not fear change. We should welcome it. This is not just a change in president, but also a change in how we operate. We need to recognize that we may need to make changes within how we operate to improve this institution.

Change doesn’t just happen on the presidential level. It takes an institution.

Let our hopes be true in that Bachand can continue to promote and progress the university, and let’s wish him the best of luck as he takes office.