What is it about this career opportunity that interests you?

I was first attracted to this career opportunity by the remarkable congruence between the desired characteristics sought for the new provost at Oho University and my professional experience, leadership skills, administrative philosophy and personal attributes. Subsequent research into your outstanding university has affirmed this initial impression and significantly extended it. Although the apparent "fit" is a strong motivator, I have developed a growing admiration for the University, its traditions, its development and the extensive opportunities that exist. Ohio University clearly has positioned itself well for the future. The Presidential Mission Statement presents a compelling, strategic direction, which embraces the rich tradition of the university, while advancing it. The University Community is engaged, committed and expresses a strong sense of values and unity that is necessary for any plan of this nature to succeed. I am attracted to a culture that is committed to excellence and expresses its ideals through its actions, performance and relationships. I am very gratified and honored to be considered a finalist in this search.

Throughout my career, I have consistently sought positions that are challenging, value excellence and involve aspirations for high-level achievement. I am results oriented and believe in the power of people, both individually and collectively, to make a positive difference. I lead with vision and courage and am convinced that unless proven otherwise, the only limits to what a university can become are those of imagination. I strongly believe that when the fusion of values and leadership creates a common, shared sense of purpose (a shared vision) that is then affirmed consistently by actions and decisions (internalized systemically), there are no boundaries to impede a university's natural proclivity to excel. Such environments stimulate inquiry, promote the discovery and advancement of new knowledge, catalyze creativity, and inspire new ways of thinking. I am convinced that my background and achievements in all areas, including academic administration and leadership, scholarship and research program development, strategic planning, academic governance, major gift fund-raising, diversity, educational technology, distance education, the global horizons of higher education, etc. demonstrate that I possess the proven experience, qualifications and people-skills needed to successfully lead, guide, support and advance Ohio University as its next provost.

What opportunities do you currently see at Ohio University?

Ohio University is an accomplished university, rich in tradition and well positioned to advance to national prominence. The plan and strategic directions developed through the Ohio University Pew Roundtable initiative establish a compelling shared vision and plan for the future of the University. The University Community is also blessed with other clear advantages. They include outstanding leadership, dedicated faculty and staff, a strong sense of values and purpose, a tradition of success and a deep commitment to advancing the University as a model learning community. The University's abiding appreciation for its tradition of nurturing both the mind and the individual is expressed through its core values. These attributes permeate the campus and impart a sense that Ohio University is truly a "place of opportunity". It is my sense that unprecedented opportunities exist within the complex challenges confronting public Higher Education. The challenges that lie ahead are not unique to Ohio University [e.g., financial constraints, educational technology costs and advances, for-profit sector competition, under preparation of many freshmen students, growing public demands for accountability and evidence-based practices, etc.] but how each university confronts them is. Ohio University is better prepared than most to deal with them and it is through this lens that I see opportunity for the future.

For example, linking the University's advances in research and scholarly activity with student education and new educational programming presents an exceptional and exciting opportunity. The idea of broadly increasing student participation in active scholarly and creative inquiry and discovery-based learning, especially undergraduate students, is filled with possibilities. Initiatives, which integrate classroom education with relevant applied learning experiences, offer the opportunity to advance learning in multiple domains (i.e., cognitive, psychomotor, affective), which greatly improves comprehension, knowledge retention and critical thinking ability. These approaches have the potential to advance an intellectually vibrant learning culture, which enhances both formal and informal educational experiences of students and provides outcomes consistent with the foundations needed for lifelong learning, continuing self-development and opportunity in life.

Related to this area is the potential for expanding research funding and resources through both competitive and non-competitive funding mechanisms. The identification of strategic, interdisciplinary research cores, such as the newly formed Nanoscale and Quantum Phenomena Institute, offers the possibility of advancing distinctive areas of expertise and excellence that will provide a competitive edge for the future both in terms of research as well as educational programs. It also affords the opportunity to pursue corporate and foundation support through cooperative as well as philanthropic funding mechanisms.

The planned revision of the general education program also presents an exceptional opportunity for Ohio University to distinguish itself. Depending on the targeted outcomes, the crafting of innovative learning experiences, as part of a revised program, can inspire students to appreciate new and different areas of thought and creativity, ones that have the potential to cultivate life-long interests, meaning and self-actualization, which transcend work-related interests. General education programs elsewhere have all too often missed the mark in this regard. The potential exists for Ohio University to become a model for the nation. As this plan evolves, opportunities exist to champion the plan's innovative features as part of external funding initiatives, which can assist implementation, actualization and assessment of the desired educational outcomes.

The transition to learner-center education is rapidly moving beyond the "proof of concept" phase. Key elements of the plan developed as part of the Ohio University Pew Roundtable initiative serve as an excellent template for guiding the University in this regard. It presents a unique opportunity to explore and guide transformations in instructional practices, which have the potential to advance learning productivity, knowledge retention and higher order thinking. When combined with advances in educational technology and learning space design, the opportunity exists to create learning experiences that are truly learner-centered and customized to the way individual students learn best. The concept of students as critical thinkers, knowledge researchers, learning collaborators, problem-solvers, producers and imparters of new information, life-long learners is taking hold as we transition from "knowledge-dispensing" environments to ones that engage students in active thinking, inquiry and the discovery of different ways of knowing. The potential exists for Ohio University to be a leader in this movement.

What about the institution prompted you to become a candidate for this position?

A number of considerations have influenced my decision to become and continue as a candidate for this position. They include the desired characteristics described in the position description, which indicate a clear sense of institutional direction and purpose. The information available via the University's Web site and the quality of the print materials provided communicate a consistent message and express the high values and standards that guide the University. The Provost Search Committee has conducted the search process with utmost professionalism and dignity. Their actions convey a sense of grace, consideration and class that is difficult to find. The prospect of working with and learning from President Glidden is a compelling reason for my continued interest as well. In addition, working together with all members of the Ohio University Community and serving in this leadership role presents an exciting opportunity filled with complex challenges and responsibilities, which I find quite invigorating and appealing.