Although President George W. Bush's first choice for director of national intelligence has an impressive array of credentials, students were concerned about the broad, undefined scope of the power vested in the position.

Bush announced yesterday that John Negroponte, the current U.S. ambassador to Iraq, will oversee and manage the U.S. intelligence community and will have responsibility over 15 intelligence agencies including the CIA and the FBI. The position will be one of the most powerful in the U.S. government, and some students said one person should not have that much power or influence on various intelligence agencies. "It's not good for one person to have that much responsibility; instead, maybe it should be a committee that oversees everything," Mark Wicoff (freshman-accounting) said.

Negroponte, prior to leading diplomatic efforts in Iraq, was a member of the Career Foreign Service from 1960 to 1997. "I think it was a good move because right now the separate parts don't communicate, and this will bring everything together," Dan McKeen (sophomore- engineering) said.

Political science professor Scott Bennett said he was surprised at the choice of Negroponte because he does not have a strong intelligence background.

"He's been a political appointee and a successful diplomat, but he hasn't worked in intelligence, and that may be a potential issue," Bennett said.

Autumne Shannon (freshman-communications) said she is uneasy about the prospect of one person heading 15 agencies.

"That's a lot for one person," Shannon said. "And they're all important because safety is a concern for a lot of people."

During the press conference announcing Negroponte's appointment, Bush said Negroponte understands global intelligence needs because he's had a long career dealing with foreign affairs. "John will make sure that those whose duty it is to defend America have the information we need to make the right decisions," Bush said. "We're going to stop the terrorists before they strike."

Centre County Republicans chair Glenn Thompson said that in the past, Bush has picked qualified people and expects nothing less from Negroponte.

"A new plan for homeland security has been long overdue. Bush now has the agencies communicating and sharing intelligence," Thompson said. "He's putting into play significant changes that will make America safer."

Elizabeth Santoro (senior-psychology) said a new plan is needed. "It should have been somebody more well-known ... " she said. "But [Bush] keeps instilling fear into us and hoping that we'll support him."

Centre County Democrats chair Bob Shepherd said that overall, intelligence reform would be beneficial for the country. "It a good theory that a person oversee this, but whether he's the best person for it, remains to be seen," Shepherd said. "He certainly has a lot of experience, though."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.