It’s not what you know, but who.

Tuesday, interim registrar Jan Hathcote — who had held the position since July 1 — was officially named as the University registrar despite holding the position for a few months and missing the deadline for application.

Worse, Hathcote sat in on the presentations of the other four finalists for the position before putting herself forward as an applicant … and each of the presenter’s experience exceeded hers by seven times — or more.

All of which begs the question: how is it, exactly, that Hathcote got the job? And why is it, exactly, that she was able to sidestep the rigors of a usual application process?

Her qualifications weren’t as strong; her background wasn’t as deep.

It reeks of familiarity. Bill McDonald was hired to be the Dean of Students last fall despite a conflicting reception by students and administrators.

Then, as now, a search committee formed; it gathered a pool of applicants; it interviewed them. It narrowed it down to a few. And then it picked someone entirely different.

Then, as now, a choice was made for unclear reasons.

In the case of Hathcote, Vice President for Instruction Laura Jolly stepped over the committee to announce the hiring, even as the committee chair James Mooney said he had “no idea” when a selection would be made.

With all the back-and-forth, the editorial board is left wondering: what’s the point in the process?

And if a search committee makes decisions and nobody cares, do they make a sound?

— Adam Carlson for the editorial board

The editorial board consists of Rachel G. Bowers, Joe Williams, Adam Carlson and Charles Hicks