Opening Remarks to the Staff and Faculty


August 19 and 26, 2011
President Linwood H Rose

Good morning. I have no doubt that you will make this another memorable year in JMU's proud history. I am happy to see so many familiar faces, but also excited by the prospects of the new ones.

I want to especially welcome new faculty and staff and offer my encouragement to you as you progress through your first year at JMU. I trust that you will find the embrace of this university to be supportive and nurturing. Most of us find it so nurturing that we never leave!

While we have the challenges of a full academic year ahead, at least the latter half of the year will be characterized by transition from my presidency to that of another. In the spring semester we will still teach the courses, serve the meals, play the games, conduct the scholarship, and provide the service that we always do, but the leadership will be changing.
On the one hand, I don’t wish to get ahead of myself by offering my metaphorical "Swan Song" so early in the year, but on the other hand, I will not see many of you as a group again.

There will be many "thank yous" that I will be offering to individuals throughout the year. I owe so much to you. But, I must use today as an opportunity to express my heartfelt appreciation to each of you for your many contributions to the success of this university.

Having had only five presidents in 103 years, we don’t have these "transitions" very often at JMU! You can always find a few faults and justified criticisms, but for the most part, infrequent change in leadership has served us well.

My friends have heard me say that when you are going to be around to experience the consequences of your decisions, you tend to make better decisions, and those that are in the long-term interests of the university. Presidents who fly in with personal agendas, that are more about establishing a nice resume than about strengthening the institution, and then fly out to the next job, have thankfully been avoided at JMU.

So, if you will pardon a little self-indulgence, I suppose I would like to make this my swan song. This is no fond farewell. To be sure, I wish it was no farewell at all. I say that it is not a fond farewell because I wish I was still forty and had the energy, stamina and will to lead you in these uncertain financial conditions. Surely, these are not the best of times, but I promise you that there is no better place to be than right here at James Madison University.

It is not a fond farewell, because I Ieave behind so many wonderfully talented and committed faculty and staff – many of you I count as not just work associates, but as friends.

It is not a fond farewell, because I truly love and value your commitment to mission and to our students. So many institutions claim it – we live it. We know nothing else.

The collaboration, the willingness to work hard, usually with fewer resources than our peers, the creativity and innovation in program design and delivery, all make it that much harder to step away from the presidency of this special place.

During my presidency I asked that we focus on diversity, on the stewardship of our natural world, on fundraising, and on expanded opportunities in science and technology among other topics, and you responded. In the last eighteen months, the list of improvements we have made in policies, practices, services, and facilities related to environmental sustainability is pages long, single-spaced. Other institutions now look to us and they desire to emulate the things that you have done.

Progress requires vision and execution, and we have brought both to our work.
Together, we have consistently improved our campus. We have recently completed or will soon complete Wayland Hall, Bridgeforth Stadium, The Biosciences Building, the Steam Plant Expansion, and University Park. Before long, construction on Duke Hall and the West Tower of the North Campus will begin. We will make our university safer and friendlier to pedestrians with our new campus transportation plan.

Last year we raised $9.1 million, a 20 percent increase over the previous year, and we grew our Presidents Council donor group by 21 percent. All done in less than ideal economic times. Our fundraisers for academics, for our students and for athletics, for the annual fund and for planned and major gifts had a good year and we need to continue to support them in their mission to support us.

It’s been a good long run. To be sure, I don’t regret much, not much at all. I started my employment at Madison College in 1975. I have witnessed incredible change in the size of the campus, the number of faculty and staff, the enrollment, as well as the number and type of facilities. We enrolled 4,700 students back then!

But, it has not just been about more and bigger. It has also been about quality. Consider the qualifications necessary to be employed or enrolled today! Enhancing quality while expanding is challenging, and we have done just that. Think about how administrative and instructional technology has changed. Unfortunately, I remember what a KayPro computer, a CPM operating system, and Lotus 123 are, or were. For those that don’t, ask an old person here!

I should mention, that while we have and will always stress the availability and personal nature of the relationship between our faculty and our students, we remain innovative in our approaches and we have not been bashful about using technology to expand access and outreach to our constituents. For example, last year we delivered 455 sections of courses on-line to 5,783 students. These things don’t just happen (well, they do at JMU). This result required the collaborative efforts of a creative faculty member, a supportive team of technologists and a dependable electronic delivery platform.

Remember those days when getting "on-line" meant dialing up one of those horrible screeching modems? Think of it, this past year, due to the efforts of our IT leadership and staff we joined the National Lambda Rail Network of Internet II colleges and universities. We join the elite in high-speed data communications.

Yes, I am proud that during my presidency we have added twenty new academic programs, we have built twenty-five new facilities, and added 2.4 million square feet. We have become a leader in instructional technology and while we were growing we have actually reduced the student faculty ratio from over 19:1 to under 16:1, but reflecting on the thirty-five years since I began my career at Madison, my first thoughts are of the people I have known and had the privilege with whom to work. So many outstanding faculty and staff. If you have not done so, I want to encourage you to do something I did just Wednesday.

Visit the fountain plaza in front of Burruss Hall. There you will find the names of the faculty emeriti etched in concrete pavers with the year of their induction into the group (which is the year they retired, for most). For someone who does not know these individuals, well, they will see a brick; but, when I looked at those etched names on Wednesday I saw faces – the faces of many faculty who established the foundation and culture of the modern JMU.

The faces of Pat Bruce, Carter Lyons, Kay Arthur, Clive Hallman, Denis Robison, JuIius Roberson, Frank Luth, Richard Whitman, Bijan Sadaatmand, Rex Fuller, Ben DeGraff, Esther and Jerry Minskoff, John Woody, Greg Versen, Cynthia Gillett, Joe Estock, Charles Dubenizick, Carl Harter, Steve and Kay Knickrehm, and Chrystal Theodore to name just a few.

And, It has been my privilege to work with many dedicated administrative and support staff. People such as Phil Dean, Mike Woolman, Brenda Kidd, Mary Ellen Rohrbaugh, Fred Hilton, Junior Higgs, Phil Dean, Ben Yarber, Bill Hall, Fay Reubush, Edgar Wilkerson, Tom Bonadeo, Vickie Hudson, Lawrence Dove, Al Menard, and Sherry Hood come to mind.

I know that it is cliché to say, but this institution has been built on the shoulders of people such as these. These are the people who lifted us up, who helped us become the university we are. I know that they are, or would be, extremely proud of what you have constructed atop that strong foundation.

I began my JMU career in Student Affairs and I am proud to say that those roots have always been a touchstone for me in validating our institutional mission. Our student health, counseling, activities, recreation, residence life, and other student programs complement our academic purposes and make for a vibrant and healthy student life.

The Admissions and Financial Aid teams get students off to a good start, and the bookstore and dining services – problem areas at many universities are models for customer service at this university.

While the demands of the presidency are many, and the time commitments consuming, the joy and derived satisfaction associated with faculty, staff and student achievement can be euphoric. One of the president’s primary responsibilities is to enable, that is, to create conditions for people to work their magic, and there has been a lot of magic around this special place!
I will remember faces, the faces of new students at summer orientation, the faces of graduates crossing the commencement stage, the faces of faculty following the Phi Beta Kappa announcement, the faces of staff filled with pride after opening a new building, the faces of staff when they knew we had exceeded our first capital campaign goal, the faces of faculty engaging with students as partners in learning, and the faces of conference and national champion student athletes.

Of course, there are a few regrets, though not many! I hated eliminating 10 intercollegiate sports. I am all for gender equality and opportunity in sport – I just disliked having to take opportunity away to achieve it. I regret Springfest I and Springfest II – they were black eyes for the institution and spoiled our reputation.

I regret that we didn’t generate even more private support – no excuses, but it has not been a great ten years for raising money. I had hoped, for example, that we would have grown the endowment to $100 million by now. I regret that our salaries for faculty and staff are not where they should be. Compensation has failed to keep pace with accomplishment. A point I made strongly with many of the State’s leaders this past Tuesday when we met with them to discuss the University’s future budgets.

Finally, I regret that I did not say "thank you" enough to all of those who have served this institution so well and for so long, whether on the payroll or as a volunteer.

Thank you to the instructional faculty, I both appreciate and admire you. But, your students love you (most of the time). There is no question that you are the principle reason that employers like to recruit our students, and that our alumni so overwhelmingly approve of their experience at JMU. You don’t just teach, you engage, you inspire and you motivate a commitment to learning. You also have a fantastic supporting cast. Our administrative leadership advocates for you and works to anticipate your needs.

Thank you to our housekeepers who clean up after us and for us, and to our landscapers who seem to make our campus more attractive every year. To those who order what we need, pay for what we order and to those who collect the money that makes those orders possible.

To those who plan our space and keep it safe, to those who heat and cool that space and maintain its condition. To those who train us and advise us in HR and to those who pay us in payroll, we especially appreciate you. To each contributor to our program, I am grateful.

In today's world we could not operate without computing support and electronic communications. Our IT personnel anticipate and respond effectively. Those in media relations, marketing, constituent relations and communications who keep us, and our world, up to date; who share our achievements and report our news, who keep us informed with tweets and on the tube do a great job, and I say "thank you" to each of you. Our coaches and athletic administrators deserve recognition as well. They pursue victory, but they understand that athletes are students first.

We are a great team. We are "Altogether One," and we would not be the institution we are without each of you. I think I said it earlier, there is no better place to be than right here at James Madison University.

As I depart at the end of this year, you can be sure that I have no axe to grind at all. You can be sure that I have been grinding till I’m grinding to a halt. Sometimes it’s the right thing to cut the cord. When you’ve been holding on hard, your hands get sore. Sometimes it is worth it, but sometimes you wonder what for?

I can leave the presidency knowing that I gave it my all, and that the University is in great shape and in great hands – yours! As I said when I announced this decision last December, stepping down from the presidency isn’t motivated by health problems, contractual differences, Board issues, some unforeseen crisis, or a personnel problem. After what will be almost fourteen years in the job, it is just time.

I have been grinding for a long time and after a while, your hands do get sore and your patience does run short. It is frustrating to gather together so many talented people at this university, people who anticipate and deliver, people who produce results, people who generate market demand, people who change the world through their work, people who graduate their students, and people who operate efficiently, but then receive such small reward for the effort.

But, I leave this job knowing that the effort is worth it, that you are worth it and that the students are worth it, as frustrating as it may be at times. Leaders who leave their jobs when they are spending time wondering about whether their work is worth it, have waited too long. I did not want to become one of those.

Many have asked me, what will I do now? Some seem to be more concerned about how I will occupy my time than I am. The truth is much remains to be done this year, and I have just not worked things out in my own mind.

I chair the Council of Presidents this year, and I am a member of the Governor’s Higher Education Advisory Council, assigned the task of developing a new funding architecture for higher education in Virginia. I view these leadership roles as a way to improve higher education funding and reward the kind of performance that has characterized our efforts for years. I will give these responsibilities my full effort.

So, I will do alright. Well, in truth, I might. I will miss the times when we were so right. Although it seems so long ago, so long. Thirty-five years does seem like so long ago. Virtually nothing was built on the east side of the interstate. We had only one tunnel. Basketball shorts were short. Duke Hall was big enough for Theater and Dance, Art and Music. Now it is not big enough for Art alone.

Dr. Warner had hair on his face, and his head. The north campus was the hospital and Memorial Hall was the High School. Sheldon Hall and Cleveland Hall were dormitories and there were no parking decks and there wasn’t enough parking – Oh, I guess that didn’t change!

While I said that this is not a fond farewell, this is no sorrowful day. A leadership change is exciting and I am confident that the search committee and the Board of Visitors will find and secure a talented new leader. A leader who will bring fresh ideas, interests and personality to the culture and mission of our university. You will no doubt, have high expectations for this new president. On this count I ask for a favor.

Whoever might serve you as your new leader, don’t sit back waiting in judgment. Offer that person your support and advice, encourage her, when in doubt – trust him, have some faith. You have given me those things. They have been the fuel on which I operated. I think you will find that what you invest in your new president will yield significant return!

I take satisfaction from the knowledge that I am "handing-off" an organization with strong vital signs: a well qualified faculty, a committed staff, a superb senior management team, a culture of collaboration, an admissions pool that is the envy of many other colleges and universities, a safe, attractive and friendly campus, sound finances, and a shared plan for the future.

Earlier this summer I came across a little book I read some time ago entitled, Advice to My Country. it is a compendium of thoughts and pearls of wisdom offered by James Madison. If you will excuse my borrowing the template, in a similar fashion, I would like to share a few thoughts with you as "Advice to My University."

These thoughts are offered in no particular order or priority, with the exception of the first, which must always be the first:

  1. It is all about the students, and remember, it is not just what we teach students, but also how we treat students. When you get discouraged, talk with students – they will lift you up.
  2. Never yield to mediocrity. Excellence must always be the goal. Many of you know that I am a "car guy." A catch phrase once used by the Jaguar Motor Company is one of my favorites: "In a world filled with compromise, we make no contribution." JMU shouldn’t either.
  3. Collaboration and sharing are JMU attributes that must be nurtured everyday, and never taken for granted.
  4. Rigor and challenge – academic and otherwise - make us better people. You must prepare others by offering the challenge and giving them the appropriate tools to be successful, followed by hard work and then support.
  5. Keep this place looking good. We all work and learn better in environments conducive to both. By the way, it doesn’t matter how many titles or degrees we have, we can still bend over to pick up a piece of trash or pull a weed.
  6. Stay innovative and nimble, that means build trust, not bureaucracy.
  7. Get something done everyday, accomplishment is wonderful for well-being
  8. Paint with the colors you’ve got, whether you a have a full pallet or not. If you wait for perfect conditions you may never start, much less finish.
  9. Never self-proclaim greatness, leave that to others. Humility is good and successful people sometimes have the most difficulty with the concept
  10. "Never let things that matter least get in the way of things that matter most." – Goethe. Judith gave me this quote my first day as president and it has had a prominent place on my desk since 1998.

Over the years, I have quoted some of my favorite songwriters in the speeches I prepared for the beginning of the academic year. Some of you may have recognized that today I borrowed a few of the lyrics from a Bruce Hornsby song entitled, "Swan Song." I am grateful for the inspiration he provided as I crafted these thoughts. To close my remarks today I would like to share his music and some wonderful images of James Madison University life with you.
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What a perfect blend we have of seasoned, capable faculty, coupled with young, aspiring dreamers whose scholarly work and inspiring teaching amaze me everyday. Combine these with an innovative and dedicated team of administrators and staff and you have an unbeatable team.

You are all very special people and I hope that I have served you well. Thank you again for your friendship and support during my time as president of this wonderful university. I may not remember every name, but I will not forget your faces! I wish you all a very productive and personally rewarding 2011-12.

Lin Rose

 

REFERENCES

Hornsby, Bruce. "Swan Song." Spirit Trail. RCA Records Label, 1998
Madison, James, and David B. Mattern. James Madison's "Advice to my country".
Charlottesville: University Press of Virginia, 1997. Print.