“I’ve been following the questions your posts have raised about UT since July. It made me think about what The Rocket Nation should expect from our next leader. If I were a trustee, what criteria would I use to select the next leader? As a CEO for nearly 30-years, here’s a short list that comes to mind:
- Decisive decision maker with intense drive to turn UT into a global university with 30,000+ students from across the US and around the world.
- Selfless crisis manager with both business and healthcare experience, but not a medical doctor or academic.
- Grassroots approach and passion for tactical engagement both on campus and in the community. Strong track record of hands-on relationship building with business leaders to restore their commitment to UT. No interest in staged photo ops.
- Urgency to build a leadership team that loves UToledo and Toledo. Moratorium on interim executives. Intense focus on tactical success for UT first with the outcome being their personal career advancement.
- Delegates with genuine urgency, accountability, and transparency. No more abdication of decision making.
- Humble and approachable regardless of status and wealth; disdain for elitism and arrogance. Listens with intent to understand not to solicit donations.
- Proactive, genuine and vocal advocate for UToledo and Toledo with expert knowledge of history and culture.
- Nurtures alumnae of all ages and economic backgrounds to captivate and capture their hearts, minds, and involvement first and donations second.
As a trustee, I would push for a leader with deep ties to UT and Toledo. Engaging with UT leaders makes it clear that the knowledge transfer process is not working. They have no regard for history or culture. They want UT to be something it is not. So, the outsider approach will not work until that is fixed.
As a trustee I would personally participate in the search. While I don’t know these individuals, a quick Google search pulled up potential future leaders connected to UT:
- Bill Rudd (retired Marietta College)
- Amy Thompson (Write State)
- Nicholas Santilli (John Carroll)
- Mark Curtis-Chavez (DuPage)
- Bob Miller (University of Texas @ San Antonio)
How many members of The Rocket Nation are in high level leadership roles at universities around the world? Is it time to bring them home?
As a trustee, I would push to endow every Dean and key leader so we can attract the best. This includes modest base pay with large incentive compensation to drive enrollment, financial responsibility, and the best programs. A metric based pay for performance approach.
What are your expectations of UT’s next leader?”
It’s ok to feel uncomfortable in a crisis. Please pray for thoughtful, compassionate accountability and urgent actions to revitalize The Rocket Nation.
#RocketNation #toledo #utoledo #ToledoTough #RocketNetworker
