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The final three of five candidates for the UL presidency laid out their priorities and how their experience could enhance UL's future during the search committee's interviews held Tuesday at the LITE Center.
Higher education commissioner Joseph Savoie admitted he's still undecided whether the position is a right fit for him, but that's what the process is about, he added.
Savoie's admission came after a question submitted by retired UL faculty member, Jane Ellen Carstens, who wanted to know why Savoie would leave his current position where he has an impact on the state's higher education.
"Frankly, I have not made that decision in my own mind, but the process is that we have to declare a public interest to go through the process. We're going to have to work through that together, if the board is interested in working through that."
Savoie said he has confidence in his staff, the Regents and the state's system heads.
"I'm still struggling with it, but I think Louisiana is going to be fine with or without me," Savoie said.
Among the candidates, Savoie and UL vice president of academic affairs, Steve Landry, both have institutional knowledge of UL and it showed in their answers.
Ray Flumerfelt, a chemical and bimolecular engineering professor at the University of Houston, is the current vice director of the Texas National Wind Energy Project, a research and training facility. Flumerfelt's held leadership roles at the college of engineering and department level at three other universities during his career.
<center><p><a href="http://www.theadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071114/NEWS01/711140326/1002/NEWS01" target="_blank">The rest of the story</a>
Marsha Sills
msills@theadvertiser.com
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Savoie has 18 years of experience at UL and was the vice president of university advancement before taking on the role as higher education commissioner in 1996. Landry has been with UL for the past 36 years and has been in his current role since 2000.
Savoie's and Landry's familiarity shone through their interview as they joked with candidates.
When UL System President Sally Clausen had to cut Savoie's introductory remarks short, he pleaded for a few more minutes.
"I'm on a roll Sally. ... I have only one more page," he said.
"That's what he does with the Legislature," Clausen said smiling.
"That's a strategy. More time I talk, less time you have," Savoie joked back.
When asked how his leadership style differed from the current administration, Landry bookended his answer with a closing remark that brought laughs from the audience, "I still work for Dr. Authement on Wednesday. I want to be diplomatic about this answer, as well."
He told committee members that the university is not the same university Authement took over in 1973.
"The style is not only different, but the opportunity is totally different," he said.
Committee members asked some of the same questions posed to Monday's candidates, Karen White, regional chancellor of University of South Florida at St. Petersburg, and Clifford Stanley, president and CEO of Scholarship America.
The first question: the candidate's top three priorities.
Landry said he'd actually have four, if selected.
"I'd work immediately to replace myself," he said. He added he'd love a shot at the presidency, "but I don't want to do both those jobs."
Then, he'd like to put together teams to examine the recommendations made in the institutional review of the university. Part of that examination will include triaging the recommendations and discovering which ones are irrelevant, according to Landry. He explained that some of the recommendations were made on initiatives that the university had already begun.
"If we don't feel it's appropriate to make the changes, then have the justifications why the report is wrong," he added.
Flumerfelt said his first focus would be in correcting some of the deferred maintenance on campus.
"I would try to immediately invest in some things so that there's a positive view of the campus about what's going on," Flumerfelt said. "I heard that there's a need for facilities. The faculty needs some equipment. ... There needs to be some support."
After his first 60 days in office, he'd like to hold a "convocation" to start the planning process on how to address the recommendations and findings of the institutional review of the university.
Savoie admitted that he'd have to learn more about the campus he's been away from for almost 12 years before surmising what his top three priorities would be.
"I think it's important the first thing that a new person needs to do is engage a lot of conversation with people to get a better sense," Savoie said.
The review also brought about the issue of the university's funding of athletics, which was a hot topic among public questions on Tuesday.
Landry proposed developing a team to focus on funding in the athletics program.
Flumerfelt said he already fielded a question about whether or not he'd shut down athletic programs during his visit to UL.
"I'm not going to come here and shut down and go in reverse," he said. "I'm going to try to have the athletic program go forward."
But there needs to be an appropriate balance when it comes to funding, he added.
Athletics are an opportunity to "engage people who may not have a natural engagement with the university," Savoie said.
Each candidate brings a different background. Though Savoie and Landry have institutional knowledge of the community on and off campus (Savoie still lives in Lafayette and commutes daily to Baton Rouge) - Flumerfelt didn't have to respond to questions about an "ol' boy mentality" or his thoughts on whether or not the university needs an "outside" candidate.
Whether or not an "outsider" is best for the job is up to the committee, Savoie told the members.
"That's a decision you're going to have to make," Savoie said. "I would say I have a unique combination of inside and outside experiences. I was here for 18 years. I have two degrees from here, but I also got a doctorate from an institution in New York City."
When asked how he would make the transition from policy maker to day-to-day campus decision maker, Savoie said he's asked himself the same question.
But that he has helped campus heads deal with challenges they've faced on their own campuses.
Because of his role as the state's "chief educator" committee member Paul Aucoin asked if Savoie planned to overcome the perception some people may have that he wouldn't be approachable to the community.
"I was called T-Joe about 20 times between the door and here and called some names across the parking lot," Savoie said. "I don't think approachability is part of the issue."
Here are the candidates comments to other issues that surfaced in questions posed by both the committee and public during Tuesday's interviews:
On fair market salaries across faculty disciplines
Flumerfelt recommended that that the power of setting salaries be made with the department head with the final approval still in the hands of administration.
"There would be a pool of salary money," Flumerfelt said.
"... I would give that money in pools to the colleges, then the college would go to the departments and decide how much to put in the departments. The chairs would look at these people and decide what to give them. I know you don't do it that way. I still believe the person making the decision on faculty salary should be the department."
On economic development
Flumerfelt recognized the symbiotic relationship between the university and the community and added that the university should work to develop relationships in the community.
He did not elaborate on specific economic development engagement or goals.
The university should make itself available to the community, according to Savoie. UL's done a good job of doing that, he added.
Both he and Landry cited the LITE Center as an example of that important partnership between business and university.
On fundraising
Though Flumerfelt was part of a major fundraising effort for a new Texas National Wind Energy Project that drew donations from major oil companies, he told committee members that it's difficult to pull money from private companies.
The institutional review recommends that the new president consider focusing on fundraising, particularly a capital campaign to respond to deferred maintenance on the campus.
Landry said he'd work to build his own relationships in the community to solicit university support, but would also consider the review recommendation to hire professional fundraisers.
Savoie's background at the university, included development and fundraising.
It takes offering people a vision for the university that they can believe in, Savoie said.
There are really no "secret strategies," he said. "Other than telling people an honest story that people want to be a part of."
On diversity
The university should reflect its community, Savoie said.
But it's difficult for universities to achieve diversity goals, if students aren't able to access higher education, he said.
"Louisiana loses 50 percent of its young black males who never finished high school," he said. "If they never finished high school, (university) can't access those students."
Intervention needs to begin at the K-12 level, he added.
While at Texas A&M, Flumerfelt served as the head of the chemical engineering department and then as deputy vice chancellor and associate dean of engineering. While there, he said he hired the first black faculty member for the department.
"I hired the first female at the University of Alabama (in chemical engineering)," he added. "We were the fifth highest producer of African-American graduates, engineering graduates. The University of Alabama at that time was under some action. We would have to report every year what we did. They also incentifized the hiring of minority faculty and underrepresented faculty. That really helped us We went above the norms there."
On the topic of retention and graduation rates of black students, Flumerfelt said engagement is the answer.
"It's engagement of faculty with students early - freshmen year writing course, small sections," he said. "If you get that engagement, you change that retention."
Landry's a member of the university's diversity task force, which also includes community members.
"We've been looking at what we can do today to improve the opportunities, primarily for African-American students, but all students who want to come to the university," Landry said.
That means looking at high school populations and pinpointing why students are choosing to go elsewhere and then asking how the university can support those students who aren't choosing any higher education opportunity, Landry said.
Replacing senior staffers
Flumerfelt would come to the university with his assistant who followed him to the University of Houston when he left Alabama.
"(She's) probably the brightest person I've ever worked with. She amplified my ability to do things. It's very critical to have outstanding people taking care of things that allow you time to do things (like) fundraising, to give talks, whatever it takes," he said.
Savoie: "I think the most important decisions that you can make are about people and your leadership team. ... From the outside perspective I don't frankly know enough about the inside operation to make a decision on that at this point."
Though he does have an inside perspective, Landry said he wouldn't enter the office with a "preconceived notion."
On international education and international student enrollment
Flumerfelt: Said his past experiences have shown that faculty visits to other countries has helped attract international graduate students, but also undergrads.
Savoie: Recommended networking with institutions to offer opportunities for exchanges for international and UL students and scholarship support for study abroad programs.
Vision for student affairs, accessibility of students to administration
Flumerfelt: "I don't know if I have a vision yet for student affairs. I don't have a vision or anything. Student affairs is certainly important. I'd have to know what are some of the challenges they're having."
Savoie: He'd continue the president's Monday meetings with student leaders. "It's a very good way of staying connected to students. If you're providing a product it makes sense to talk to the customers about their satisfaction with the product, so you can improve that."
Landry: The office of student affairs is designed to take "care of the students needs outside of the academic arena and they do as a surrogate parent." Its also the entry point for students to become engaged on campus, he added.
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