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Thank you very much, George. Good morning, everyone.
Let me begin by extending my appreciation to the members of the Presidential Search Committee and its leader, Jeff Wyler. Obviously, I am delighted with the outcome! And I want to underscore, from my point of view, that they have been extremely diligent and have served as great ambassadors for UC. Jeff Wyler really did his homework and was incredibly helpful to me in making this decision.
To the Board of Trustees, and especially George Schaefer, you are an exceptional team, each bringing a unique set of skills and interests to the board and a commitment to UC that is simply unrivaled. I truly look forward to our work together over the coming years.
Let me next acknowledge, as others have today, the outstanding leadership of President Joe Steger. Joe’s imprint on this great university is obvious and indelible. I know this – UC’s Master Plan 2000 just went to the top of my must-read list! Ken and I look forward to getting to know Joe and Carol better, and I am delighted that Joe now intends to direct his architectural skills to UC’s leadership in non-profit management education.
To all the faculty, staff, students, alumni and friends of UC here present, welcome. I very much look forward to working with you in the years to come. Your press precedes you – hear what the university presidential search Web site had to say about you:
“The excellent faculty have distinguished themselves world wide for their creative pedagogy and research especially in problem solving and the application of their discoveries.
The University system is designed to serve a diverse student body with a broad range of interests and goals. It is a place of opportunity.
In support of this mission, the University of Cincinnati strives to provide the highest quality learning environment, world-renowned scholarship, innovation and community service, and to serve as a place where freedom of intellectual interchange flourishes.”
Let me just say, I believe it! And I look forward to joining your ranks.
To round out these introductions, please meet my husband, Ken Howey. Ken’s primary interests are in teacher education and urban school renewal. A prolific writer and scholar, he has a magnetic effect in attaining millions of dollars in extramural funding and has led significant national networks of school/university partnerships.
In fact, Ken and I have just completed a text on presidential leadership in which Joe Steger offered an in-depth reflection on UC’s leadership in urban school renewal. Both Ken and I have been students of leadership for all the time we've been together. Who wouldn’t like a guy who once said, “I love your leadership style!”
Over the past 5 years, I've learned up close and personal a great deal about presidential leadership.
1. I have learned that vision trumps everything: A big fan of Collins and Porras' Built to Last, I know that organizations are most effective when a well-articulated and ambitious vision of the future exists. This is an iterative process and must reflect the rich traditions of the past as well as our aspirations for the future. I look forward to initiating this re-visioning process early in my tenure.
2. But I have I also learned that vision is derived at the hands of many. It is sometimes opined of the academy, that when all gets said and done, more gets said than done. That will, I predict, not be the case with us. I believe we can be inclusive of the various interests and constituencies on this campus and in the community and align these diverse interests in a coherent vision of our future.
3. I have learned as well that a collective vision can only derive from collective action. In “ready, fire, aim” fashion, we must derive a targeted set of actions (not too few; not too many) and then hold ourselves accountable for results. Together we can do this.
4. And I have learned that we must ensure we have the pocketbook to match our aspirations. Joe Steger set the pace – in endowments, research and development funding, in creative revenue enhancements. I didn’t have to read this morning’s paper to know that I and we must give our full attention to public and private revenue generation. And I, like you, know how to deal with declining resources. I, like you, know how to set priorities and make difficult choices.
5. And, of course, I have learned about the persistence and constancy of message. I assure you I will tirelessly tell the story of the University of Cincinnati and its greatness.
So, why, in closing, did I want to come to UC? I’m so glad you asked!
I came because of the incredible opportunity to build on UC's greatness.
I came to build on UC's comprehensive program array; and the challenge of creating more cross-disciplinary programs ... in the arts, the sciences, the humanities, the health sciences and the professional programs.
I came to build on UC's evolution as a “research powerhouse.” You have exceptional intellectual capacity. And I assure you that I will contribute to its growing momentum.
I came to build on the diversity and excellence of your student body. Let me be clear ; I believe that diversity is value-added. UC is unquestionably a destination campus, a global as well as a local and regional campus , thanks in large part to your world-class co-op program and its ongoing potential.
And I came to build on UC's profound sense of community, given the rich capacities of UC faculty, staff and students, and the resource-rich and, yes, problem-rich environment that is the Cincinnati region. To continue to commit this institution to this region's economic, social, cultural, educational and artistic future. To contribute in major ways to Cincinnati's destiny as a hub, for Richard Florida’s “creative class" – interesting people, doing interesting things “in the very fabric of our everyday lives.”
Great universities contribute in major ways to their urban context. They also draw from the great resources that are inherent in this metropolitan area. Great cities and great universities thrive reciprocally on each others' strengths.
And I came to build on the energy and the excitement of UC’s rich and successful collegiate athletic tradition. I want to be the Bearcats ' number 1 fan!
In short, I hope you know how extremely proud I am to have been chosen for this very important leadership role. I am honored and grateful.
I believe that urban universities, and especially one of the stature of the University of Cincinnati, will become the prototypic 21st-century universities. I intend to invest all my energies in service to the greatness that is the University of Cincinnati.
Thank you and let's get started!
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