| Conversation with Interim President Neil Kerwin by Linda McHugh
“From what we can tell from their preparation— [this class] is capable of meeting the rigors of a very demanding academic experience.”
—Interim President Neil Kerwin |
AU Interim President Neil Kerwin spoke with American Weekly about the class of 2010, university and presidential priorities for the coming year, and how far AU has come in its comparatively short lifetime. Q. AU’s incoming class is its strongest to date—how would you describe it?
A. The statistical profile speaks for itself, although it’s a bit unusual to have this kind of growth and maintain the level of quality that we have established over the last few years. Often when a class increases you get some marginal decline in one of the classic statistical data, but that has not happened. Beyond grade point averages, the freshman profile still shows our students as more politically active and more focused on their ability to change themselves and the larger society. The distribution of interest across the schools and colleges is a little different. We have a pretty sizeable increase in the number of students expressing interest in the Kogod School of Business and there was an increase in the School of International Service as well. But we appear to be strong across the board. Q. The Princeton Review named AU its “Number one politically active campus” in the nation—particularly impressive given competition in Washington. Are you surprised?
A. I’m not surprised, but I am proud of it. Washington has always been a magnet for people with political interests, but some will think it separates us from some of the local schools and colleges to some extent. These rankings can come and go pretty quickly, however. In this case, I think they’ve captured an aspect of the undergraduate life here. What’s interesting is that we weren’t listed as the most liberal, or the most conservative. One of the vice presidents pointed out when this was announced that we’ve generally been able to work with as politically active a population as exists anywhere in the country with a very high degree of civility and mutual respect. “Political activity” is a very broad term, and it can be completely misunderstood as traditional partisan activity. It doesn’t have to be. The number of clubs and organizations that exist on the campus are a manifestation of the same phenomenon. The key is to ensure that political interest and activism are matched with enthusiasm for academic work. Students still have a lot to learn, and that’s why they’re here. Q. Do you think the Katzen Arts Center, which opened this time last fall, has raised the visibility of AU in Washington’s art scene?
A. The short answer is “it has exceeded my expectations—and my expectations were very, very high.” I think Dean Kay Mussell, the faculty, museum curator Jack Rasmussen, and Dr. Katzen himself, who is around here regularly, have all done an enormous amount to put the arts at American on the map. And if we’re a force in the arts in Washington, D.C., we’re going to be a force in the arts in the nation. We had wonderful programs, and now we’ve got this unparalleled stage for them. Q. Is the role of interim president a
balancing act—juggling the role of caretaker with leader?
A. I’ve never seen the job as “caretaker.” I was acting provost too—I just never thought to make a distinction. I saw this as a job. I think the job changes from year to year, but fundamentally my role is to ensure that the world outside American University understands and appreciates the work that’s done at this institution. It’s also my job to see that the institution has the resources available in the right places to carry that mission out. I’ll spend a lot of time with the Board of Trustees helping to implement its new governance system and make sure that the bridges that need to be built between them and the rest of the community are strong and enduring. And, I think a president needs to be a presence both in the city and on campus. You have to learn as much as you can about what
people are concerned with, and give the community as many opportunities as possible to participate in some of the decisions that land on this desk. Q. Are there some new organizations you expect to join or new ways that you anticipate being present in the city?
A. I expect to be active in a lot of things. The city of Washington needs to know that American University is a major part of its economic and social life, and there are a few things that a president can do that others can’t. I expect to be more active than I was able to be last year in the Board of Trade and to encourage the vice presidents, deans, faculty, and staff to be visible off campus, too. You can see in our current list of activities that they already are. Q. You’ve been at AU for a long time, and AU has come a long way in that time. Are there any significant or unexpected changes that you’ve seen?
A. [It’s easy to] forget how young we are. And because of that, we don’t take enough time to appreciate how quickly we have risen to the level we have as an institution. Am I surprised by that? Because I grew up here, no, I’m not. I think what the institution always needed was a degree of freedom with regard to its resources that would enable the faculty to reach its full potential and the university to become the creative and productive place it is. I think there is a greater sense of stability. With the help of a lot of talented people, we can now engage in multiyear efforts because we’ve positioned the institution so that it’s very nicely buffered against surprise expenses and surprise events. I started on the faculty when I was 26 and the place has changed immensely in a lot of different areas, but I [always] felt that the fundamentals were here. Now it’s so much more than the fundamentals. It has been great to watch. Q. Have you learned anything new about AU since becoming president?
A. You learn a lot about an institution when it’s confronted by the unexpected, and especially one that could damage the institution. What I learned about AU and what I learned about the AU community, almost all of it, was more reinforcement than insight. This is a place that managed, arguably, the most significant transformation in governance of any university in recent memory, and it not only managed its academic mission, it excelled at its academic mission. Q. What are your priorities for the coming year?
A. First is to continue the progress on the campaign so we can bring its goals closer in sight. There will be particular campaign emphasis on three things—the School of International Service building, the School of Communication building, and [putting in place] a large number of academic enhancements that will allow us to demonstrate the characteristics of a place with the national reputation we have. Second, I want to do all I can to support our new academic programs so that our core mission is well served and that we continue to build on the recent gains in teaching, research, and professional activities. Third, I will be presiding over the development of another two-year budget. That’s extraordinarily important work [that requires] a review of the institution and how it can continue to progress. Fourth, we cannot forget the importance of recruiting and enrolling new students, and I will do all I can to assist in these efforts, with particular emphasis on enhancing diversity and our commitments as a global university. Fifth, I will spend significant time looking for a replacement for our athletic director. We’ve lost Joni Comstock. I’ve said a lot about her already, and I mean every word of it. A search for a new athletic director is important; after I took the job, I asked that the athletic director report directly to me. So I’ll probably be quite involved in that hire. I’ll continue to spend as much time as possible with people on the campus to help inform budget and other decisions, and I’ll continue to support the board in every way I can in the governance transformation that it designed. Q. Can you be specific about that?
A. The board made an enormous commitment to increase its visibility and its interactions on campus. They will have town meetings, for example, and I expect to participate actively in those. The board has seven new members and is likely to add more in the coming year; I need to make myself available to the two new faculty and student trustees. We will have student and faculty participation on board committees, and we will have student, faculty, staff, and alumni participation in board meetings. To the extent that I can, I’ll assist these people in making sure they understand what the board expects of them. I’ll help the board understand the community’s information and access needs. It’s an important job. Q. Where does AU stand on its strategic plan—the 15 points?
A. It will remain the strategic plan of the institution until a new one is developed. I am preparing a report for the board in September, and I will make it available to the community after the board meeting. The progress has been quite substantial on every point. I think probably early in the next presidency, he or she would start a new strategic plan process because we’ve made that much progress. Q. You spent a lot of time last year on the road speaking to alums. What did you speak with them about, and what are your plans for this year?
A. Last year I spent time explaining to alumni what had happened with regard to our former president, but very quickly the conversation turned to the university’s mission. I would describe how AU is a strong institution with a lot of accomplishments. It’s remarkable, though, how many times someone asked—“Is professor X still there?” There is a deep, positive feeling among the alumni for the faculty. I’m planning time on the road this year, probably more than last year, in a mix of classic development activity, classic alumni work with alumni chapters around the country, and as we get close to late winter and early spring another cycle of trips to recruit the freshman class. Q. What inspiring words do you have to open the school year?
A. We are in one of the best places to live and be in America, and these are special environments. There is something about the start of the academic year, once you’re past your freshman year, you understand. The words I would send along are that I want us to do everything in our power to make sure that our students work harder than they ever have before. I think that is the best way to prepare them for life after American University. At a given moment in this coming year they probably won’t appreciate it, but I’m sure they will by the time it’s all over. Scholar Teacher of the Year Ed Wasil’s words at convocation reflected that. If you look below the surface of the themes he spoke about, it was leading a balanced life, and a big part of that is working hard and remembering why you are here. Those are words to live by. |
