Today's News

University community meets presidential candidate Geoffroy
01-19-2001 | University Relations

About 70 people attended a diversity forum and about 100 showed up for the open forum Jan. 19 for Iowa State presidential candidate Gregory Geoffroy. Geoffroy currently is senior vice president for academic affairs and provost at the University of Maryland, College Park. Following are some highlights of his comments during the two forums.

On diversity in a university community.
The campus community needs to foster an environment where all individuals can excel. It takes formal policies, procedures and organization, but it also takes a strong commitment and strong leadership from the top. We must work aggressively to foster an environment in which diversity is treasured and valued.
We are all members of the human race. I feel the world would be a boring place if we were all the same. Differences are what make life stimulating, having a diversity of views, experiences, cultures and backgrounds. But we all have many of the same aspirations and concerns. We need to treat each other civilly.

On political correctness.
You have to walk a fine line between freedom of expression and creating an environment that welcomes all people. It is a struggle for many universities around the country. Some schools have adopted speech and conduct codes, but they have not worked well. I believe we need to think about how to create an environment on campus where everyone is treated equitably and all are able to excel to the best of their abilities.

On recruiting and retaining underrepresented students in science and engineering.
In this area you have to be very proactive. It requires a lot of special attention. You often have to start recruiting students at an early age, bring them to campus, form friendships.

On homosexuality.
I strongly believe that individuals need to be free to live their lives as they see fit as long as they are not bringing harm to others.

On building a strong alumni base.
You need to start with freshmen the first day they arrive. You need to look for activities that engage students and make a tie to the campus. All of us have special memories about an involvement that gave us a tie to our university. And this is something the whole university needs to think about.

On teaching and research.
OBI don't like to think of it as teaching versus research. I think they go hand-in-hand. Great research and scholarship enriches teaching. The challenge is to get more students involved in that research. With scholarship of teaching, you have to ask yourself, what is the impact of the research. I ask that of any research of any type. What impact has it had in the field. I use exactly the same criteria.

On the role of athletics.
Intercollegiate sports builds a school spirit and loyalty. It is very important to a university. All sorts of productive partnerships are built because of the loyalty created by the program. It's an important part of what we do, but we have to watch it carefully. It has to be carefully overseen. One mistake, one rogue player, can tarnish the reputation of the university.

On small farms and agricultural businesses.
I believe a land-grant university has a mission to serve all of Iowa. It should help small farmers prosper. At the same time, it's important to work with industry and businesses. Its mission is to serve the state. The university has a role in executing whatever priorities are set by the state.

On student alcohol use.
Alcohol abuse is a major problem on campuses all over the country. They have tried to address it by educating students about the dangers of alcohol. By and large, that hasn't worked. What does work is tough enforcement, strong regulations and laws. Veishea is alcohol free, Unless someone could present a convincing argument, I would be in favor of it staying that way.

On top priorities for Iowa State.
The top item on my agenda would be improving the level of excellence of the academic program. That means recruit, retain and develop the best people you can. Establish an environment in which they can excel. If you want to be the best land-grant, you have to increase the excellence of a number of the academic programs.

On ensuring student input into decisions.
I meet with student leaders often on a variety of issues. You need to ensure that there is a formal mechanism for direct input from students. I also believe the president must be visible. The president should appear at all sorts of things, and appear spontaneously, such as in dining halls, and talk to students.

On academic freedom.
I strongly believe in academic freedom. It is one of the pillars of our institution and we must guard against challenges to it.

On teaching technology.
We have to ask what is the best way to present materials so students learn the best. There are many ways and we need to try to do everything we can to enable faculty who wish to use technology to be able to do so. We need to help faculty adapt to new technology. But we must always think of what is the best way to present the material.

On globalization.
Globalization means a lot of things. On the economic side, businesses are increasingly becoming more globalized. But it also means the world is getting smaller, through communication and travel. We have to provide students an education that equips them to thrive in the environment they will live in when they leave here. It's our responsibility to provide that kind of education.

On temporary faculty.
Universities in general have not treated temporary faculty well in compensation, benefits and privileges. They have a responsibility to be responsive to temporary faculty. I believe as long as the percentage of temporary faculty does not get too high, there is great value temporary faculty to bring to programs.

On university retirees.
Retirees as a group have a lot to offer the university and the university has a lot to offer them. Retirees can bring a lot of value to the university through mentoring and occasionally teaching a course. The key is to keep the retirees engaged with the university.

On the humanities.
I believe a great university excels in the arts and humanities, not just the sciences and engineering. You need to bring the arts and humanities up to excellence. Fundamentally, the value of a university is better if it has strong programs in the humanities and arts.

On his style of decision making.
I like to surround myself with good people. I bring the issues to the table, discuss the issues and if we come to a consensus, good, and if not, then make a decision.