Official Address
Friday, September 10, 2004
Templeton-Blackburn Memorial Alumni Auditorium

"The Dawn of Ohio University's Third Century"

Chairman Robert Walter, Members of the Ohio University Board of Trustees, Members of the Ohio University Foundation Board and Alumni Board, Rabbi Danielle Leshaw, The Honorable L. Douglas Wilder, Mayor Richard Abel, Presidents Vernon Alden and Charles Ping, other distinguished platform guests, distinguished guests in the audience, members of the McDavis and Moses families, colleagues and friends from Other Universities, faculty, staff, students, and other members of the Ohio University community, and, members of the Athens community.

This is a day unlike any other for Deborah and me, and for our sons Ryan and Anthony. Unfortunately, our sons are unable to be present today, but we are very proud of both of them and love them very much.

We give all honor and glory to God for making this day possible. For without God's love we would not be here today.

And Deborah and I publicly thank our family members, those present and those deceased, whose love, nurturing, and support have brought us to this very special place ... at this very special time.

It is the dawn of Ohio University's Third Century.

And to be granted the privilege and honor of providing leadership for my alma mater at the dawn of its third century leaves me with a profound sense of responsibility and duty.

It has been 132 years since the first Ohio University alumnus, William Henry Scott, was appointed as the seventh President of Ohio University.

I think I know a little about how he must have felt!

Perhaps he, as I, stepped to the podium owning a very deep sense of Ohio University's history ... its revolutionary history ... and its pioneer passion.

We are surrounded by our heritage ... our traditions ... and rightfully, we bask in the celebration of our accomplishments.

You can neither enter, nor depart Ohio University's historic College Green, without passing under words containing our legacy.

It is tempting to feel satisfied with our progress after 200 years.

Yet it would be unfortunate if we lingered too long, becoming complacent with past accomplishments.

I choose to look through a telescope similar to the one that Ohio University's founders, Manasseh Cutler or Rufus Putnam, might have looked through to discover this territory.

It is pointed not at the distance we have traveled, but straight ahead toward the wonder and promise of the path that lies before us.

What is Ohio University's destiny in the Third Century?

When I think of Ohio University, the words "excellence," "exceptional," and "distinction" come to my mind ... I want you to think of Ohio University in the same way. I want the nation to know us in those terms, and I want the world to be captivated by the achievements of this great university.

Dr. Benjamin Mays, a former President of Morehouse College, once said:

"It must be born in mind that the tragedy of life doesn't lie in not reaching your goal. The tragedy lies in having no goal to reach. It is not a calamity to die with dreams unfulfilled, but it is a calamity not to dream ... It is not a disgrace not to reach the stars, but it is a disgrace not to have the stars to reach for. Not failure, but low aim is a sin."

To reach the highest star, we will focus our efforts on accomplishing four major goals.

Ohio University will become a nationally prominent research university. This is our first goal. Our quest for enhanced national prominence begins here, today, in this building, with this message. It began as a vision before I arrived on campus and it will continue long after I have left office.

Let us begin today to ponder this lofty goal ... how we truly can become prominent as a research institution in the United States and throughout the world. Our goal will be to reach for the highest star!

To accomplish this goal, we must take several steps. Our excellence and national rankings in academic and research programs will be increased. Currently, US News & World Report lists Ohio University among the top 100 research universities and the top 50 public universities in the nation.We are gratified to have achieved such success, but more can ... must ... and will be done to advance our position among the very best research and public universities in the United States.

In the near future, a university-wide committee chaired by interim provost Kathy Krendl will be appointed to develop the vision and plan for Ohio University to become a nationally prominent research university. Faculty, students, administrators, staff and members of the Board of Trustees will be asked to serve on this committee. Among 641 institutions of higher education, the National Science Foundation has ranked Ohio University 185th in its most recent ranking for total research and development expenditures. As Ohio University's research enterprise expands, so too will its national ranking for total research and development expenditures expand.

The quality and availability of academic programs on our regional campuses will be enhanced. While new offerings have emerged for the start of the 2004 fall quarter, we cannot be satisfied. We must constantly attend to the needs of citizens in our region and satisfy their needs for higher education through the academic courses and programs on our regional campuses.

The reputation and status of our College of Osteopathic Medicine will be elevated. This college already provides tremendous health care to the people in our region. In bio-chemistry research, the College of Osteopathic Medicine also has distinguished itself. We must generate an even greater appreciation for and recognition of the College of Osteopathic Medicine's academic programs, research initiatives and community service.

If our goal is to become a nationally prominent research university, then we need to leave no stone unturned in our effort to capture the attention and imagination of our audiences. So, we will work to gain more positive recognition of our athletic programs as a strategy to increase the national visibility of our University. Ohio University athletics has a strong and proud tradition. When we build on that tradition, the entire university benefits. Thus, we intend to elevate the stature of our athletic programs and our student-athletes.

What Is Our Destiny In The Third Century?

Our second goal will be to increase the diversity within our institution as a whole - students, faculty, staff and administrators. To do so, we must create a more welcoming and inclusive campus environment for people of color. We need to understand that our academic curriculum must be supported by more out-of-class multicultural initiatives and activities. We must prepare our students to live and work in a very diverse world.

Therefore, I am very pleased to announce that Ohio University will implement the Urban Scholars Program. Through this new scholarship program, we will actively pursue outstanding students from urban centers across the state and throughout the nation. Our goal is to improve diversity within our student populace. We will actively seek scholars from the urban centers of our state and nation through the efforts of our alumni and our Alumni Association. I look forward to working with our alumni in Ohio and across America to establish the Urban Scholars Program. And I am pleased to announce today that Deborah and I pledged $8,000 to support the first Urban Scholar.

Our approach will be broad-based. We will ensure that teachers, counselors and principals in urban school districts throughout Ohio and the country become more familiar with Ohio University and the high quality academic programs we offer, and that they will send their most promising students to us.

To increase the intellectual diversity of Ohio University, we will increase the out-of-state student enrollment. Over the next five years, we will work to increase our out-of-state student enrollment by 50 percent, thereby achieving a goal of 15% of our student body from outside the borders of Ohio. And, along the way, we will increase the enrollment of underrepresented students - whether students of different minority groups, socioeconomic status, or geographic origins. Any limitation to our diversity is unacceptable.

We live in a global community. Recognizing that fact, we must actively seek international students who will complement the education of the entire student body. There is no better way to learn about the world than to create an environment where students from all over the world study, live, and socialize together.

Our commitment extends to increasing the number of diverse candidates for faculty, administrative, and staff positions. Our dedication to this goal cannot be overstated. All employees of Ohio University are agents of experiential education for our students; academically, socially, morally, and personally. Any interaction with a student provides an opportunity to teach through personal mentoring.

What is Ohio University's destiny in the Third Century?

Our third goal will be to secure the resources necessary for Ohio University to rise to national prominence as a research university. While we have just ended a very successful Bicentennial Campaign with $221 million, we must continue raising private funds to support endowed scholarships and fellowships for students, and endowed chairs and professorships for faculty.

In addition, we must continue to forge better collaborative and cooperative partnerships with our state representatives, state senators, and our governor to secure additional state support for mutually beneficial university programs and projects.

Nowhere is the need for imagination and creativity in building financial support more important than in the area of research. Our current research funding approaches $57 million. It is a foundation, not a destination. We will continue to increase our external support for research to $100 million over the next five years. We have a long way to go, but bold aspirations have an uncanny habit of fueling progress and achievement!

We also must work to develop innovative self-help proposals for entrepreneurial initiatives throughout the region and, at the same time, leverage those initiatives to attract additional state support.

The provost, vice presidents and deans will develop on and off-campus initiatives that may be used to generate new revenue streams for the university and the colleges. Deans and faculty members will be challenged to think of new academic programs and activities that can benefit the citizens of southeast Ohio. Funds raised from these entrepreneurial projects will be used by deans to hire faculty, create scholarships and fellowships for students and provide operating expenses for their colleges.

What is Ohio University's destiny in the Third Century?

We will increase partnerships in the region, throughout Ohio, and throughout the nation as our fourth goal. While we seek to become a nationally prominent research university, we can never wander too far from our commitment to the region. Our faculty, staff, and students must work closely with local, state, and nationally elected leaders.

We must look for opportunities to build more economic development partnerships with our neighbors in the region. We also must work closely with our Innovation Center to create more opportunities for new entrepreneurs.

We will continue to work collaboratively with health care institutions in the region to strengthen and provide better health care for the citizens in southeast Ohio. These efforts will lead us to form new partnerships with health care professionals in the area.

If our work is education, and indeed it is, then that work must be applied to actively improving the quality of public schools throughout Southeast Ohio. We must never forget that a better educated populace leads to a better workforce for tomorrow's jobs.

Our research must not be limited solely to Athens and our regional campuses, but must capture the attention of universities throughout Ohio and the nation. Thus, we will form research partnerships and consortia with other universities in Ohio and across the country and develop cluster research initiatives and programs.

In addition, we will work collaboratively with others in southeast Ohio to develop a regional airport with commuter service to airports in urban areas. A regional airport will help to attract a variety of companies and businesses to southeast Ohio which will lead to better jobs for citizens in the region.

Our history is bound to our community. Our efforts must never ignore, nor overwhelm those who share this special place with us. That special bond requires us to explore new and more effective lines of communication ... opportunities for cooperation and collaboration ... and avenues to celebrate together all that is special about the bond between our university and our city.

Indeed, our history is bound to this place we call Athens and to our region. Yet, it is a history that is not separate from that of our nation.

Take this wonderful auditorium for example ... .it is a constant reminder of how our destiny is woven into the fabric of our great past.

Memorial Auditorium has hosted entertainers and activists ... diplomats and politicians ... poets and presidents ...

And today, we add the name of L. Douglas Wilder to the list of great Americans who have spoken in Memorial Auditorium.

On October 25, 1938, Robert Frost spoke on the West Portico steps and reminded us that, "What we do in college is to get over our little-mindedness."

His words ring as true today as they did during the grip of the Great Depression when it would have been easy to lament our condition.

Instead, Frost invited us to resist the temptations that come with the comfort of what we know and what we already are.

He exhorted us to embrace new ideas ... new initiatives ... to embrace change.

Another who stood outside these doors captured that spirit of exploration and courage to pursue progress. John F. Kennedy visited 20 years later in 1958 and expressed a similar theme to that of Frost ...

Said John Kennedy, "Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or the present are certain to miss the future."

It's no surprise that Jack Kennedy loved Robert Frost ... as do I, because Frost was reluctant to leave well enough alone, and never hesitant to venture forth even at the risk of defeat.

We must be equally determined not to settle for what we have become, but rather to strive for what must be our destiny. Our journey must continue.

We will become a nationally prominent research university. We will increase the diversity of our students, faculty, administrators, and staff. We will continue to strengthen and expand our base of financial support. And, we will increase partnerships throughout the region, the state, the nation, and the world.

Our history demands that we strive toward these goals ... and our destiny depends upon it ... .

"Together, we will accomplish noble goals in Ohio University's Third Century."

- Inauguration Web site