When Marty Dezelan studies his office, he doesn't notice the bare, white walls or the mostly empty shelves.
He sees a room big enough to hold Ball State's reputation as the best charter school sponsor in the nation.
"We're getting the opportunity to put something in place that will have a legacy for a long time," said Dezelan, who is one of only two charter school directors in the state. "I hope when we look back on this in 10 years, the university is proud."
But as his first semester at Ball State ends, Dezelan, who started at Ball State on Jan. 6, spends more time in his car than he does in his future command center. He must contend with legislators in Indianapolis, his colleagues in Muncie and the university's nine charter schools spread across the state.
These nine schools have turned the university into the state's leading charter-school sponsor, and Dezelan, alone, will guide their futures -- even though he never received a degree in education and has never taught a class.
"He's a quick study," said Ken Miller, the assistant to the dean of the Teachers College and Dezelan's boss. "He is really gaining a great understanding of the education issues involved in the charter school system.
"As he gets into it and we see what the needs of the school are... the job is going to evolve. Marty is, fortunately, very flexible."
When Miller was looking for a director, he said, he could choose from about 65 candidates. Some of them were educational experts; others had experience researching.
Miller noticed, though, that Dezelan was an expert in public policy and lobbying, and he had worked at the Indianapolis Chamber of Commerce as the director of educational policy. He also knew the key players in the charter school initiative, Miller said
Dezelan first developed a taste for charter schools while working at the chamber about a decade ago -- when the first state adopted a charter school law. At the time, Indiana's public schools were suffering, said Stacie Porter-Bilger, Dezelan's former co-worker who now holds his old position at the Chamber.
"I think it's at his core values as far as looking at creative ways to reform our school system," she said. "He did a lot of things because he believed in it. You don't have to be an educator to see how an organization works."
At the time, more and more students were failing the ISTEP, and bosses were hiring teachers to re-teach their employees information they should have learned in school, Porter-Bilger said.
Dezelan soon began visiting other states' charter schools. Ultimately, he began lobbying local businesses and legislators in hopes of getting similar legislation passed in Indiana.
"I've been attracted to charter schools because of the fact that it encourages localized decision making, creativity and innovation," Dezelan said.
And though he may lack the educator's degree, his public-policy expertise more than qualifies him for the job, Bilger said.
Dezelan has certainly needed his lobbying skills. Today, he's driving from Indianapolis to discuss charter school funding. He'll then drive back to Muncie, and he'll finish his day by driving to Sullivan, which is near Evansville, to meet with a charter school.
On Monday, he left Muncie around 5 p.m. to travel to Gary and meet with one of Ball State's unopened charter schools, the Thea Bowman Leadership Academy.
"He seems very determined and very knowledgeable," said Thea Bowman spokeswoman Anne Thompson. "When we need help, he's right there.
"I think they made a very fine choice."
Despite his periodic trips to Gary, Dezelan has spent most of his time at Ball State in Indianapolis, where legislators are debating the future of charter schools.
Legislators are still sailing through unnavigated waters, and Dezelan will be looked to for information as the months pass by.
Dezelan must also contend with unfamiliar challenges -- such as a recent charter that the Timothy L. Johnson Academy, a charter school in Fort Wayne, was padding its enrollment figures to receive additional funding.
"The biggest challenge is that there's no road map," Dezelan said. "As we see bumps in the road, we can't just ask, 'What did we do last time?'
"It was baptism by fire."
Yet, the uncharted territory also excites Dezelan, he said. He has a vision for the charter school office. He said he hopes to spread his office into other university departments and to more students.
For instance, he said, he would like to incorporate the architecture department when charter schools are planning their facilities. He said he thinks business students can play a part in operating the schools.
And he hasn't forgotten about education students.
"Down the road, the opportunity for student involvement is unlimited," he said.
But for now, those dreams will have to wait for Dezelan's laptop computer. It isn't connecting with his Palm Pilot properly. Dezelan fights with it a little, and eventually makes the connection.
Dezelan is hoping to make similar connections soon -- connections between departments, charter schools and the state.
But like his laptop, it may take a little fighting; but for the fledgling director, it will be worth it.
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