The final two candidates for USM’s presidency visited our three campuses last week, ending the two-week process of introducing the four candidates to our university and allowing us to meet and question them in return.
During the first week, we met Robert Smith from the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville and Selma Botman from the City University of New York system. Last week brought David Belcher from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock and Nancy Kleniewski from Bridgewater State College.
Each candidate faced a tight, two-day schedule in which he or she met privately with various factions of the university as well as publicly, in open meetings held on each campus.
The candidates last week faced questions during these open meetings that were often similar, if not identical, to those posed to the first two candidates: questions about how he or she might help us out of our budget crisis, how each intends to interact with the various senates who share governance in this institution, and what each has done for his or her own current university that might apply to things relevant to our own.
There were many new questions as well.
At one of the meetings with David Belcher, professor Irwin Novak of geology asked about universities admitting “remedial” students in order to “make numbers,” while realizing that it takes extra resources to educate these students.
“It is a risky proposition to raise admission standards,” said Belcher in response, “it changes your recruitment strategies. But if you admit student’s conditionally, you’re saying ‘I believe you can make it,’ and we need to follow through on that belief. By admitting them, you made a commitment to them.”
One member of the same audience questioned Belcher on his feeling about studying abroad, and the role of international education.
“I’m very supportive of study-abroad programs, I’m a product of them,” said Belcher, speaking of the two years he lived in Vienna during the Cold War on a music fellowship.
He was also asked about an idea to outsource facilities management jobs. “You lose big-time when you outsource,” he responded. He noted that in some places it works-the college bookstore in Little Rock is owned by Barnes and Noble, and like us, they use Aramark for food services. “But you lose a commitment to the institution” when you hire outside providers.
When Nancy Kleniewski entered the events room on the seventh floor of the Glickman Library, she commented on how gratifying it was to see an interest on campus in the search, as she looked around the full room.
She commented on the fact that she has been following USM for nearly ten years, being interested in the campus-community engagement, since that is her specific interest in higher education.
One of the first comments from the audience came from Eileen Eagan, a professor of history and women’s studies. Eagan noted that she and Kleniewski were both graduates of Temple University, whose mascot is the Owl. Only half-joking, it seemed, Eagan made an aside, “The Owls. It’s a very tough bird-which is what we need, actually.”
Eagan went on to ask a question regarding academic freedom, a buzzword that showed up in the open meetings of each candidate.
Kleniewski fielded questions from the Tom Wood of the research department about continuing USM’s positive trends in research and seeking external funding, from Wendy Chapkis of women’s studies regarding the importance of diversity, from Janis Childs of athletics regarding the student athlete, and from Dudley Greeley of the office of sustainability about the possibility of becoming climate-neutral.
When asked about her style of management, she took a step back and asked the audience to confirm her impressions of former president Rich Pattenaude that first-he was liked by everyone and everyone knew him; second-that he knew everyone; and third-that he was very approachable and always available.
Unsure that she could be all of those things, she did say that “I’m personable. I have an open office, I do get to know faculty and staff’s names, and I like people to tell me the truth, I like transparency, which is a word I’ve heard a lot here.”
A theme common during the second week of candidate’s visits was community.
“For all the greatness of our parts, we have a hard time coming together,” commented one audience member at Kleniewski’s meeting. “How might you foster community?”
This issue of community was brought forward by a handful of people attending each meeting last week, and both candidates tried to give answers and ideas.
Kleniewski was excited to welcome the ideas of others, while Belcher laid out one idea currently implemented at Little Rock. Every two weeks, representatives and leaders from across campus-including faculty, all classifications of staff, students, and administration-get together for a meeting.
“It’s time consuming,” he admits, but it puts everyone on the same page. “It’s not for decision-making, but for communications. Everyone hears the same things,” which serves to foster a greater sense of community on campus. He also suggested creating an orientation for new faculty, which would allow them to get to know each other across campus.
“I just like people,” he said. “It’s all self-serving.”
Now that all four candidates have completed their visits, feedback gathered from each meeting will be taken to the Presidential Search Committee so that they can make a recommendation to the Board of Trustees, who, with system chancellor Pattenaude, will make the final decision.