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What from your childhood, education, and early work life do you think prepared you for your presidency here? I'm not sure that anything really prepares you for a presidency. I went to work when I was 14 years old in Spain, and then went to school in France for awhile, and then went to work again. I didn't really study anything until I was in my early 20s, and even then, what I studied at the university I don't think prepared me for anything such as the presidency. I think a lot of it, of course, has to do with your own set of principles, your philosophy of life, what your parents have taught you, your sense of responsibility, your sense of fair play, your sense of duty, and your love for work. Back then, would you have ever dreamed that you would become president of a university? No. When I was in Spain, just about everyone I knew went to work at 14. The only people I knew who had gone to the university were our teachers. In fact, sometimes I would walk past the university with my father, and I would think what a mysterious place it was and wonder what was behind those big walls. Can you describe a memorable event from when you started at CSU, Chico? The first fall reception. There must have been about 1,200 people in Alumni Glen, and as Gloria and I stood in the reception line, I think we shook the hands of every single individual. They gave us such a warm reception. The community also had a reception at the CARD center, and again, there must have been hundreds of people there. The way in which we were received, both in the community and at the university, was really marvelous. They made us feel right at home from the get-go. And do you feel over the past decade that that good will has borne itself out? Absolutely. Obviously there have been some hiccups in the presidency, some times that have been a little more difficult than others, but overall, yes. This is why we decided to retire here. What have been some of the most touching moments for you during your presidency? Right now [before retirement]. Also, one of the more touching moments is whenever I've gone to the Latino graduation ceremony. At the reception there are Mexican Americans whose parents don't speak English, and the kids thank the parents and grandparents for their sacrifices. Invariably, there will be stories that are so moving that it's almost impossible not to cry, and not to cry openly and a lot. But you know, I've had countless close relationships with students, faculty, and staff.
What have been the highlights of your career at CSU, Chico? Inviting Nobel prize winners to the campus has been an incredible highlight, not just of my career but of my life. The opportunity to sit down and chat one-to-one with people like Desmond Tutu, Mikhail Gorbachev, Lech Walesa, José Ramos-Horta, and Shimon Peres -- that is something that most people never have a chance to do. The highlights have been many and varied, but this last year, having so many people stop me in the middle of the street or the middle of campus--people that I know well, and people that I hardly know--to tell me thank you for the 10 years, you've been a great leader, you've made a difference, and so on has to stand as one of the highlights. I think it is a reflection of the work that I've tried to do at this university and the fact that people have responded to it in a way that is so positive. I was hoping that people would say that I had made a difference, but I did not expect this outpouring of affection. It's been overwhelming. And the affection hasn't been just for me; it has been for Gloria as well. It's very nice for me to see that people recognize that Gloria has played an important role. In what ways has Gloria contributed to the job you have done as president? Gloria is a humble person. She takes very little credit for anything, yet she played an incredibly supportive role. Gloria has been with me at almost every reception. She has accompanied me to basketball games, volleyball games, soccer games, and track-and-field meets. We've hosted hundreds of events, and she's cooked dinners for many, many people. She's joined organizations even though she is a very private person. She has worked with me, listened to me, and helped me to always have my feet planted on the ground. She has played both a public and a private role that not too many people get to see. She deserves an awful lot of credit. What accomplishments are you most proud of? Certainly the Distinguished Alumni recognition has been a very positive activity, not only for the alumni who get recognized, but for the community and the university. The faculty and community members who come to that event see the products of CSU, Chico. The alumni say that much of their success is owed to their education and the experiences they had here, and this reaffirms for the faculty that what they're doing is important and that they're doing it well. I'm also proud of the scholarship campaign. This was the university's first major campaign, and I have always felt that the university should provide scholarships. If you give scholarships for merit, you're bound to end up with very good students, and those students never come alone, they always bring some of their friends. I thought that that would help raise the academic profile of this institution. So we proceeded with a scholarship campaign aimed at reaching $10 million, and we reached $16 million. While a lot of universities give scholarships, very few universities have a competition such as our President's Scholars competition. When the students and parents come to campus for the competition, many of them haven't yet decided whether the student will attend CSU, Chico. Of those who win and those who don't, a high percentage of them end up enrolling here.
Another thing, of course, is the strategic plan. Many universities have strategic plans, but a big difference is that we stick by ours. We have made decisions for the last eight years based on our strategic plan. It's a blueprint for the future that allows us to focus our efforts. Of course, it's something that was not done by just me; it was a collective effort. There's one accomplishment that I'm particularly proud of. When I came to CSU, Chico, the attitude on campus was not very positive. Departments had undergone budget cuts, people had been laid off, and nerves were raw. The problems really were not dealt with at the university. They spilled into the community and were aired in the local paper, and frankly, it was very negative. I felt that one of the most important things that I had to do was create a change in attitude--get people to feel better about themselves, the institution, and the community, and create better lines of communication. Everything else that I've done, I think, revolved around that effort. I believe that most people would say that the attitude of people, that the feeling that they have about the institution, about being part of the institution, is far better now than it was when I came. That, to me, is the greatest accomplishment. What has been your biggest regret? Retiring. I'm not sure that I was totally ready yet. I might have gone one or two more years. But at the same time, when I came, I said that I would do it for 8 to 10 years. This is the 10th year, so it seemed like a good way to finish this, a nice round number. In addition, my wife was encouraging me to consider retirement so that we would have more time together. Please list the most significant changes you've seen on campus in your tenure as president. I think the change in attitude is very important. The relationship with the community was terrible, and the relationship with the media was worse. And, of course, if you don't have the media on your side, it's difficult to have the community on your side because a lot of what they know about the university is from what they read. So I had to work very closely with the local papers and create additional lines of communication here; that's why we have Inside Chico State, the faculty/staff newspaper, and Chico Statements. Our fourth priority in the strategic plan recognizes that we're the anchor institution in the region, and that we will do everything we possibly can to bring the region and the university together. I think that by stating it clearly, that our responsibility is to the region and to the community, it has sent a message to the faculty, the staff, and the community. I also expanded the university advisory board. Some of the most prominent people in the community are members of the university advisory board. They know everything that is going on at the university. If there is a problem, they can become our ambassadors. The physical appearance of the campus has changed tremendously--it looks a lot better than it did before. We have Yolo Hall; we have renovated Colusa Hall. We have the BMU; we have Nettleton Stadium. Very soon we will have the new building for student services.
In the last five years, each year the grade point average of admitted incoming freshmen has been higher, to the point where it's now about 3.4. That is a tremendous accomplishment. When I came here, there were criticisms that we were letting all students in, all they had to do was be breathing, and so on. Now we have a very good class, and I think it's partly due to scholarships, partly that we control the enrollment, and partly that we have publicized much more the accomplishments of faculty, students, and staff. We have successful programs. All of that has contributed to bringing in better-prepared students, which then makes the professors teach at a higher level, which means the students do better, which attracts more students. It's a nice cycle. Another major change is our reputation. I cannot say that it has changed completely because, unfortunately, we still have some people who refer to our school as a party school. We advance a little bit, and then something happens, like Playboy magazine ranks us No. 2 party school, and we take a few steps backward. But, frankly, I think that we are winning the war. We haven't won yet, but if we continue on this path, 10 years from now we will be known for being a good academic institution and not for anything else. Do you think the alcohol policy has had an impact? I think multifaceted efforts in alcohol education are having an impact. Preliminary information indicates freshman students are not drinking as much. Those who drink still drink too much, but there are not as many of them, and that's a good sign. Now we have to not only reduce the number of students who drink, but we also have to reduce how much they drink. It's not something that will go away easily. We have to be vigilant and continue every effort that we have and more, and we'll make a difference. What aspects of your career have you found particularly satisfying? There are times when you say to yourself, this job is incredibly demanding, and then something happens. You help someone, you make an improvement, you do something that is going to have some lasting importance, and you say to yourself, it's all worth it. So, on a daily basis, there are moments of great satisfaction. When I think about what has been accomplished in the last decade and whether the university is better off today than it was 10 years ago, I believe that it is, and I think most people would agree. That is really the most satisfying. What advice do you have for the incoming president? I think a new president needs to, and will, strike in different directions. My advice would simply be not to be in a hurry to jump to too many conclusions. This is a campus with a long tradition, a long history. The people are quite knowledgeable. They all love this institution, and they don't take it well if somebody comes from the outside and suddenly makes changes just for the sake of making changes, or in a way that doesn't respect sufficiently the traditions and the culture that exist here. I advise spending time getting to know people, getting to know the culture of the university, and determining what's good, what's bad, and where there are some weaknesses that need to be strengthened. What plans do you have for the future? The first three and a half months are going to be nothing but vacation. When I get back from the vacation I am not too sure what I will do. Walt Schafer and I are hoping to work on a short book on the issue of alcohol use and abuse on campus, including a look at Pioneer Days, and the challenges that we still face with this national problem that has to be dealt with at the local level. We will chronicle what has been done and offer a blueprint for other campuses facing similar problems. After that, the chancellor has asked me to be a special assistant to him on a half-time basis.
What is your main message as you leave the presidency? No one individual accomplishes things by himself or herself, particularly when you're talking about an institution. I think that we have been able to do what we've done in the last 10 years because eventually we decided to go in the same direction. We got to that point after some difficult times, but we got there because people began to have faith in what they were doing; they began to have a sense that what they were doing mattered and that it had a consequence, and the consequence was positive. The role I played was really much more that of a facilitator, almost a cheerleader in many ways. Certainly, there are some things that I recommended that we do and some ideas that I came up with, but none of those would have been possible if the people who were at the university had not made them successful. I really hope this campus will continue with the perception that it is a unique campus, that it is a very good campus, and that although there may be times when things get difficult -- like right now with the budget cuts -- if you work together, there are solutions. Any last thoughts? These have been 10 great years. Sometimes, when I think about it, I say, what an incredible life I've had. The last 10 years have been the icing on the cake. It's really difficult to express what this has meant for me, and for Gloria. For somebody who comes from a tradition of university professors, the life of the university is not that unusual. But for me, it seemed totally outside the realm of possibility, and to become a professor, then kind of stumble into administration and go from being an acting dean to president in an incredibly short period of time, it's almost like magic. I consider myself very fortunate, and I have always said that the opportunities that one has in the United States and Canada are incredible. It's been an incredible ride. |
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