It started in April 2006 when many of the tenured faculty members banded together and signed a letter addressed to the college’s Board of Trustees and Provost Kim Wilcox expressing concern about the school’s future.

Other letters followed. Faculty asked officials to remove Blackburn “for the immediate good and future success of the College,” according to a letter dated April 28, 2006.

No one explained why.

It wasn’t until October 2006 that Blackburn voluntarily went on administrative leave, and two different acting deans took on the position in his absence. A year later, a search for a new dean was announced.

Again, no one explained why. And now there are three “qualified” candidates vying to take Blackburn’s place.

The situation has been handled poorly from day one. A severe lack of transparency is surrounding an important decision at what should be one of the most prestigious colleges on campus.

People can only assume a good choice has been made because many don’t know why the former dean was unqualified. There’s no available information to indicate these candidates are better alternatives.

When we hear about other MSU colleges or schools searching for new deans, the reasons are usually clear. Even if it’s a mere excuse, there’s still a reason made public.

That formality was skipped this time around. There was a hiccup about Blackburn “resigning,” but the rest of the matter has yet to be revealed.

What we do have are tenured faculty members alluding to issues and problems, but they refuse to explain if it means besmirching the college’s reputation or Blackburn’s name.

Too late. The reputations of the college, Blackburn and, frankly, the university have already taken a hit. It happened when faculty started continually sending letters about their lack of confidence in Blackburn, and the college was left without a permanent dean for months.

Secrecy only adds to the colossal mess the situation has turned into.

We agree, however, that the time for students, faculty and administrators to move on is long overdue. Finding a new dean would not only boost morale, but also add the needed stability for students attending and hoping to attend the College of Law. Whoever takes the job will have a lot of baggage to deal with while rebuilding the school’s reputation.

It’s encouraging to see law students were given the opportunity to meet and evaluate some candidates in question-and-answer meetings. That’s should happen with every dean selection process.

But to truly heal, the wound that still festers underneath all the cover-up needs to be exposed.