Maybe a more visible presence from our president. Or keep the Jesuit tradition alive and well with a president still wearing a collar. What about a lay person, like Georgetown?
The search for a successor to Fr. Aloysius P. Kelley, president of Fairfield University, is underway, and there is no shortage of voices among student, faculty and administration on what qualities the perfect candidate would possess.
Some students hope for a more visible person, a person who can be regularly spotted on campus, as their new president.
“I’d like someone who makes you feel comfortable and welcome, most definitely a people-person, someone who is outgoing, but who also knows how to get money for the school,” said Mariel Kauffman ’06. “I hope the next president makes more on campus appearances than Father Kelley did.”
Interaction with the students is important to others as well.
“I would like to see more interaction with the student body. Did anyone ever even see Father Kelley? I mean he’s like the wind, he moves in shadows. The guy is practically Batman,” said Tara Connolly, ’06.
Other students are also looking for answers, especially regarding university finances.
“I’d like it if the next president explained why Fairfield is so ‘strapped for cash’ when we pay so much money to go here,” said Meghanne Malinowski, ’06.
Not all students are looking for drastic change with a new chief in Bellarmine.
“I don’t like it when things change too much. I hope nothing extreme happens with the induction of the new president,” said Luke Kloza ’06.
The one student on the Search Committee – FUSA president Kevin Neubauer ’05 – did not specifically comment on what he is looking for in a president but stressed that he will try to represent the student body to its fullest during the selection process. “I look forward to hearing more from students,” he said.
Faculty members express different concerns for the new president, especially regarding academics on campus.
Academic Vice President Orin Grossman describes his hopes for Father Kelley’s successor as “someone who understands the centrality of the academic mission of the institution, as Father Kelley has always understood it.”
An expansion of academics, and not only academic buildings on campus, is central for growth within the university community, according to some.
“We need a stronger endowment, and now that we have so many great buildings and facilities on campus, I hope the next capital campaign will focus on academics,” said Professor Robbin Crabtree, chair of the communications department. “We need more faculty and hopefully some of these will come in the form of endowed professorships. We need more and upgraded classroom space and it would be nice if our classrooms were wired or even wireless.”
Faculty members also hope the new president will be more visibly immersed within the academics and academic opportunities of Fairfield.
“I’d like to see a president take an active interest in the academic side of the university – by attending lectures by distinguished guests, hosting academic events, and seeking donors to fund academic programs,” said Professor Lisa Newton, chair of the applied ethics and environmental studies departments at Fairfield.
Students and faculty should not expect changes within Fairfield immediately after a new president is appointed, according to some.
“University culture changes very slowly,” said Newton. “It will be a while before any new president can change the culture.”
The chair of the Presidential Search Committee, Edward Glynn, S.J., said he is looking for someone who embodies Fairfield and its purpose as an institution.
“The Board of Trustees is committed to selecting a Jesuit who embodies our vision and ambition for Fairfield University, someone who will be the University’s ambassador to the world, who clearly has the ability to communicate to all constituencies our ‘Vision of Fairfield,'” Glynn stated in an e-mail addressed to the student body.
The 14-member Search Committee consists of Glynn as chair, as well as six university trustees, three members of the faculty, a member of the university’s administrative staff, the FUSA president, an alumni representative and a representative of the Society of Jesus. The panel hopes to choose a successor in time for the next school year.
Members of the committee are confident in their ability to seek out the right individual for the job.
“I am confident that the committee will represent the needs of all its constituencies,” said Neubauer.
Editor’s note: This story previously ran in last week’s edition of Mirror Monday.
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