Linwood H. Rose Inauguration Address
James Madison University
September 17, 1999
Introduction and thanks
Lt. Governor Hager, members of the General Assembly, Rector
Harrell, members of the Board of Visitors, other members of the
platform party, special greeters, delegates from sister
institutions, distinguished guests, faculty, staff, students, and
friends: Good morning! After entering to the welcome of
Gabriel's trumpets I fully expected St. Peter to be an
official greeter! It is wonderful to have so many of you
participating in this day in the life of James Madison University.
I am particularly pleased to welcome the presidents of other
colleges and universities. Thank you for coming.
Marcel Marceau, the famous French mime, wrote, I am sure not
spoke, "Do not the most moving moments of our lives find us all without words." I suppose it is fortunate that I have prepared
remarks to share today, because the words in my mind are most
assuredly overtaken by the emotions in my heart.
Special thanks to Dr. Barbara Castello, Ms. Glenda Rooney and
the Inaugural Committee chairs, Dr. Jane Halonen, and Mr. Jason
McClain. You have done a splendid job and we all owe you our
gratitude for this day.
My thanks also to those who have participated in today's program for their greetings and kind remarks.
Thank you also to the many of you who have seen this
inauguration for what it should properly be; not the recognition of
one person's achievement, but instead the celebration of our
institution's proud heritage and its promising future. Our
freshmen joined us a few weeks ago. They joined us with the
wonderment that comes only with the excitement of a new beginning.
It is my hope that this event can parallel the freshman experience,
but for our entire organization. I hope, that this occasion will
provide an opportunity to open our eyes, our minds and our spirits
to our future possibilities. All Together One.
We have enjoyed a wonderful week of activities that has
spotlighted the accomplishments of our faculty, and of our alumni.
We have focused on the pursuit of educational excellence - and
what more noble venture can there be?
Speaking of proud heritage, music has always had a special place
in this University's celebratory events. Please join me in
expressing appreciation to Dr. Rooney and the JMU Wind Symphony, to
Dr. In Dal Choi, to Dr. Kevin Fenton and the James Madison
University Chorale, and to Ms. Sonya Baker. Special thanks to Larry
Clark, a graduate who composed and arranged Madison, James
Madison specifically for this occasion.
The Challenge - goals
Although most would consider the timing to be serendipitous, I
happen to believe that there is something more powerful than whimsy
that resulted in this inaugural day being held on Constitution Day.
Our namesake, and principal author of the Constitution,
James Madison, was a champion of education. In fact, he viewed it
as an essential ingredient to democracy. In discussing our freedom,
he pointed to "Liberty and learning, each leaning on the other for their mutual and surest support." It is no secret that I believe we
should closely associate our institution with Madison, the man, and
I am especially pleased that Constitution Day and this inaugural
are being celebrated simultaneously.
We have a somewhat unique tradition in American higher education
of holding this ritual event some time following the actual
appointment and assumption of presidential duties. Waiting a year
between assuming office and being installed does permit one the
luxury of testing and confirming thoughts and ideas before publicly
announcing them. I am pleased to say; however, that today I remain
steadfast in my acknowledgement and commitment to four goals: 1) To
preserve the prominence of the student in all that we do at James
Madison University. 2) To secure a higher level of resources to
support the faculty, staff and programs of this university. 3) To
embrace the concept of institutional effectiveness or simply put,
accountability and 4) To unite or align us in a common direction so
that we might maximize our potential and achieve beyond our
expectations and those of others.
These are ambitious goals to which I commit myself. I am
ambitious, but I would like to think that my ambition is what James
O'Toole calls "appropriate ambition." That is, ambition in
service to a greater purpose - the potential of the
organization. Certainly there are other goals - this is a
complex and large organization with many demands and many
constituents. Tyler Miller, our third president, in his 1949
Inaugural Address said, "I approach the responsibilities of this position with mingled feelings of pride, humility and satisfaction." Much may have changed in fifty years, but my own
feelings parallel President Miller's. I would add one other
feeling to his short list and that is optimism. This is no ordinary
organization, it is one filled with hope established from positive
momentum. I cannot help but be optimistic about what we can
accomplish. All Together One.
The Greek philosopher Heraclitus said that
"character is destiny." I agree. We need goals, we need a plan to
implement them, and we need bright and talented people to achieve
them. However, our future has been and will be shaped by our
"disposition, our habits and our attitudes." The character of this
university has remained a constant, an anchor, in our institutional
evolution.
At the beginning of the 20th century,
Julian Burruss, the first president of the College, turned
legislation into the reality of a college campus. Samuel Duke, who
followed as the second president, was known as the "builder" of
academic programs and facilities. Tyler Miller led the college into
a new era of co-education. For more than 27 years, Ronald
Carrier transformed the institution from a state teachers college
to a comprehensive university of national prominence. Each
president has had a profound and positive impact on the development
of the university. Each has contributed to its success, and by any
measure JMU is a success.
I want to tell you about one point of interest that is not a
goal of mine. James Madison University has had as many names as
presidents-five. We were The Normal and Industrial School for
Women; the State Normal School for Women; the State Teachers
College at Harrisonburg; Madison College; and thereafter James
Madison University. Ladies and gentlemen of the Board of Visitors,
I think you may safely conclude that I will not bring a resolution
for name change to you during my presidency.
Students
I am compelled to make a few additional remarks about our
Chancellor, Dr. Ronald E. Carrier. University histories will
undoubtedly highlight the enrollment growth during his presidency,
the creation of the Colleges of Business and Integrated Science and
Technology, the new buildings and additions to the faculty, but
perhaps more than anything else; Ron Carrier advanced the notion
that the student ought be the university's principal interest.
The University became an institution of choice for thousands of
young people in Virginia and the region. An institutional culture
has developed that has tremendous appeal to current and prospective
students as well as their parents.
Just this summer the Board of Visitors confirmed its commitment
to the value of the student-centered experience at JMU. The primacy
of student needs has permeated all that we do. I have long bragged
about the faculty of JMU which has established a reputation of
going beyond normal expectations in assisting students. The
voluntary participation of over 100 faculty in "Conversations with Faculty," a session within our new fall orientation program for
freshman is just the most recent example of your interest in our
students.
Students, we devote this institution to your potential and to
your promise. You must engage and partner with us in the
development of your intellect and your skills. We value you as an
individual and our commitment to your success will guide our
decisions. We will continue to develop new programs and refine
others to ensure that future students will receive a high quality
educational experience. All Together One.
Institutional Effectiveness - Accountability
Allow me to turn my remarks to the issue of accountability, or
the term I prefer, institutional effectiveness. I recently heard
former Governor Gerald Baliles joke that, to some today, the
definition of accountability in higher education is "educational excellence at absolutely no cost." Excellence can be affordable,
but it is not cheap.
We are a university comprised of scholars responsible for the
discovery and transfer of knowledge. We expose, challenge, nurture
and cultivate the mind. We inspire a love for learning and inquiry.
We question, seek truth, and solve problems. We do all of these
with the goal of creating educated citizens.
As a public university, we do all of the preceding, but with a
desired outcome that benefits both the individual and the society.
The public investment is a strategic choice, intended to return a
public benefit. In this model, learning is not our sole lord and
master. That role is shared by learning to enhance the public
welfare. And ah! there's the rub. For when investments are
made, calls for accountability and responsiveness follow.
In higher education we have not objected so much to the notion
of accountability, as we have objected to attempted assessment of
the result before the final product is ready to be evaluated. The
ultimate consequence of education is wisdom, typically evidenced
through insight and judgement. Our students are bright and they
come to us ready to receive, question, test and reflect as part of
the learning experience. But the interaction of knowledge and
inquiry must be seasoned with experience to produce wisdom.
As devoted educators we have said,
"just wait, you will be pleased with the final product. Wait until our twenty year olds are forty, fifty and sixty. They will have what it takes, most will be successful as they choose to define the term. Most will advance the public good, grow the economy, become involved in their communities, serve others and improve quality of life."
I happen to believe that the outcome just described will be realized.
Perhaps there was a time in our history when members of our
society were willing to wait to see. They were trusting. Now they
expect evidence. Today we live in a world of instant everything
- instant cash from ATMs, instant pudding, instant replays,
instant purchases instant information and instant gratification. As
President Tim Sullivan said in his inaugural address at the College
of William and Mary seven years ago, "The only problem with instant gratification in today's world is that… it takes too long."
We are told when we invest our personal funds for our
retirement, or for our children's education,
"Don't worry about market swings, changes in the economy, or surges or declines of a particular stock. Over the long haul you will achieve a satisfactory result."
Most of us believe the advice, but we seem to
take little comfort in it! We used to check stock market quotes on
Saturday when we could see the week's results, then we began
to check them daily, now we have instant results on-line as changes
occur.
Financial reports indicate that most of us do leave our long
term investments alone. We do rely on the advice commonly given,
but even recognizing that they are short term results, and whether
the news is good or bad, we monitor the performance indicators.
Even if we choose to not take action we derive comfort from current
performance information.
My message to JMU faculty and other educators is that we should
not confuse calls for accountability with dissatisfaction. Survey
results, and discussions with current students, alumni, employers,
parents and legislators suggest nothing but widespread support for
our work. I have confidence in the public. They will judge the JMU
educational experience on long term performance and achievement of
goals not on one measure at one moment in time.
However, calls for accountability will continue and they will
intensify. Knowing the quality of this faculty and staff, and your
commitment to excellence, I am confident that our performance will
more than measure up - it will set the standards to which
others will aspire. If funding should ultimately be connected to
performance measures I know that this institution will be a
beneficiary of such an approach.
We do a better job than most of higher education and by
utilizing the results of self examination, I believe that we will
improve the quality of the learning experience for our students, we
will enhance the public's confidence in our ability, and it
will produce a greater eagerness to invest in JMU. All Together One.
In addition to expecting that we will accomplish our mission or
purpose, the public also expects that we will be responsive to the
needs of society and more recently the economy. We have a stellar
record of anticipating the needs of the Commonwealth and addressing
them aggressively. We began in our early history with teacher
preparation to satisfy the need for primary and secondary teachers
in a rapidly expanding Commonwealth. Most recently, we have
developed the ISAT program to help meet the need for educated
technology and knowledge workers in the information age.
In response to the State's need for more space in colleges
and universities for high school graduates, JMU enrolled more 3,000
additional students just since 1995. Our growth rate exceeds all
other Virginia institutions. These are but a few examples, but I
conclude that we have been more than responsive, we have
anticipated in advance, and we will continue to do so; we know no
other way. All Together One.
Resources
JMU has been the recipient of substantial increases in state
funds in the past two biennia. However, growth has consumed those
resources to the point that many of us are now concerned that
academic quality will deteriorate unless adjustments can be made.
We are all proud of our commonly accepted status as one of the most
efficient comprehensive universities in the nation. While we will
continue to ensure financial discipline for the consumers of our
services, it is now time for us to catch up with our growth and
focus on quality.
As president, I will do my utmost to provide a compelling and
convincing argument to generate additional State resources for the
University's operating budget. While additional capital outlay
dollars are needed for new buildings to satisfy current
enrollments, it must also be recognized that we have renovation and
renewal requirements to upgrade aging facilities on our campus.
Once we achieve our previously agreed upon enrollment projections
we must stabilize the residential enrollment until we are able to
reach a satisfactory funding equilibrium.
Today's competitive environment dictates that
private support is no longer the sole province of private liberal
arts colleges and research institutions of international prominence
and prestige. Choosing between private development and state
support is not an option open to today's president. Both
avenues must be pursued aggressively. UVA is in the midst of a $1
billion dollar campaign; Tech, $250 million; William and Mary, $151
million; and, Radford, $25 million.
Lack of endowment at JMU is not a criticism of our
past; rather, it is recognition that it must be a priority focus of
the presidency for the future. A greater portion of the
president's time must be devoted to this effort. The president
must be externally visible and serve as an effective spokesman for
the university's needs.
The Board of Visitors has concurred with this need
and is supportive of my desire to allocate substantial presidential
time to this effort. The Board itself has formed a Development
Committee that will approve fund raising strategies and goals.
Wouldn't it be wonderful if by our Centennial we could claim
that our endowment and capital gifts totaled $100 million dollars.
The additional private support is an imperative if we are to
provide the student scholarships, the faculty support, and the
facilities necessary to fully satisfy our mission.
You may have recently read that last year we were
successful in raising over $5 million dollars in the JMU annual
fund, now called the Madison Fund. The total was a record and I am
proud of that accomplishment, but I am more proud of a gift that is
not included in those numbers. I am pleased to announce today that
we have accepted our first $1 million dollar gift commitment from a
graduate, or in this case graduates of James Madison University.
Steve and DeeDee Leeolou have had the good fortune of financial
success in their lives, and because they attribute part of that
success to their experiences at JMU they have generously committed
to support their alma mater. In recognition of their
support of the University, the Board has named the new Alumni
Center Building in their honor. Steve and DeeDee please stand and
let us all express our thanks for your benevolence.
All Together One
Having adequate resources to do a job is a necessary condition
for accomplishment, but it is not sufficient. Those who provide
instruction, conduct scholarship, develop and implement plans,
secure and allocate resources, and offer direct service must be
united in pursuit of institutional goals. All Together
One.
Universities are faced with a curious and virtually unique set
of circumstances. We encourage ideas, individuality, independent
inquiry and freedom of expression. My own experiences suggest that
if you surround yourself with people who are different from you,
your life will be enriched. We celebrate and respect diversity. It
is fitting and proper that we do. If there is any social
institution that should be so committed it is the college or
university.
What on the one hand gives us such a distinctive
organizational identity, on the other, fundamentally challenges us
in our efforts to work toward common objectives. E Pluribus
Unum is found on our currency. It means from many, one. We are
one university. True we are comprised of departments and
disciplines, of individuals and specializations, but perhaps better
than most universities we can achieve a balance between the
application of our talents and our aspirations to serve individual
needs as well as to meet university goals. Collaboration at JMU has
become a way of life, not a change of life. Symmachus, 1600 years
ago, said something that I believe rings true today:
"We have a common sky. A common firmament encompasses us. What matters it by what kind of learned theory each man looketh for the truth? There is no one way that will take us to so mighty a secret."
I want us to pursue a shared vision for James
Madison University. While respectful of individual aspirations and
dreams, and ever mindful of the strengthening qualities of
diversity, the university community needs a common purpose.
It is my plan that we will adopt a revised mission and vision
statement for the university by the conclusion of the fall
semester. Proposed statements will be circulated to appropriate
official bodies, and to a broader audience throughout the campus
for comment and discussion very shortly. The statements, along with
A Message to Students - The JMU Way, weren't the
product of one mind or one pen, they evolved from the work of The
Centennial Commission and the Board of Visitors. The Commission,
charged with identifying the defining characteristics of James
Madison University at its Centennial in 2008 performed a marvelous
service for the institution. Over seventy individuals from within
and outside of the university came together to provide an inspiring
message that confirmed the institution's strengths and offered
new challenges.
I want to thank all the members of the Commission but especially
Alexander Berry, a former rector of the Board, and Virginia
Andreoli Mathie, a professor in the department of psychology, for
so marvelously co-chairing the Commission. Their work, which is
available on our web site became the basis for a retreat of the
Board of Visitors in mid-summer. Within the framework of the core
characteristics identified by the Centennial Commission, the Board
approved goals to become the basis of our future institutional
planning.
Vice presidents and deans have already begun to fully involve
the entire university community in the development of both personal
and unit objectives that will address broader institutional goals.
The achievement of which over the next nine years will enable us to
become the university we aspire to be. I can assure you of one
thing, only an institution unified in a common purpose and aligned
to achieve its goals can be successful. All Together
One.
I hope that you will join me as we seek to prepare students to
be enlightened and educated citizens, who will lead productive and
meaningful lives in an interdependent world. In doing so, I believe
that James Madison University can become the gold standard for the
undergraduate educational experience. Exceptional faculty and
superb students are the anchor for that vision. If we are to be the
standard to which others will be compared then the faculty must
lead the way to greatness. We will continue to serve Virginia, we
are a state university, but together we will build a national
reputation that will attract the best faculty and students to our
program.
Initiatives
Time does not permit a full sharing of the initiatives I would
like to see us pursue in the next year or two. A complete report of
these initiatives is now available on the Web. They are identified
as 21st Century Initiatives. Each initiative is grounded
in the earlier work of the Centennial Commission and in the results
of the Board's planning retreat. The brief statements that
follow each inititiative are a beginning, a work in progress, and I
will ask that the appropriate planning and advisory bodies of the
university consider each initiative and develop supporting
objectives. We must seek to continually improve all that we do and
I don't intend to devalue that effort, but we must also focus
our interests on a limited list of well chosen initiatives to
position us for the future.
The Century 21 Initiatives are directed at defining what
excellence in learning means. They focus on building an environment
in which faculty will flourish, and students will excel; in which
all members of the university community feel energized by the
excitement of an atmosphere of intellectual achievement. I offer
the Initiatives with the awareness that not everyone will like or
agree with each initiative. However, they are all offered in the
spirit of improving the University. I recall Churchill's
remark that "There is nothing more exhilarating than being shot at without result!", but I would rather not test his own experience in
academe. I call on each member of the University to now join
together to shape our future and establish our legacy. All
Together One.
Closing
Presidents tend to be remembered for the buildings built during
their term in office, for the money they raised, or the new
programs they added. There is nothing wrong with that. I certainly
hope that under my leadership we will improve the facilities of the
campus, that we will enhance our financial resources, and that our
programs will continue to evolve in response to the needs of our
economy and our society. But please keep in mind that our work
together is of import only if it results in improving the quality
of the educational experience for our students.
My principal ambition is to create an environment in which great
teachers can work their special magic with students. The magic of
learning. When asked who influenced your life the most, former
students never say the president. They name a professor. Professors
like, Ray Dingledine, Martha Caldwell, Carl Harter, Martha
Caldwell, and Betty Neatrour. Rather than ten buildings, ten
million dollars, or ten new programs, I would prefer to be
responsible for creating the conditions for ten faculty to flourish
at JMU and to alter the lives of students they teach. If that can
be done then I will feel gratified with what has been
accomplished.
I am mindful and appreciative of the many contributions made by
our faculty, our staff and our graduates as we have worked to
improve our university. But let us now look to the future together.
All Together, One. I have been granted a wonderful opportunity.
With all of the intellect, energy, and talent that has been amassed
at this one place it is difficult to imagine failure. Those
qualities deserve leadership and I shall draw on all of my reserve
to provide it. With God's guidance we will accomplish our
goals and at some future date the presidency will be handed to
another who will be able to define new aspirations from a
foundation as solid as the one I now inherit.
Thank you for the opportunity to serve.