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Op-Ed: Putting Students First

(as appeared in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, July 1, 2008)

Students first. You'll be hearing me say these words a lot. In fact, I want to make serving students the hallmark of my tenure. They are, after all, the lifeblood of our work. As we transition to new leadership, and address new challenges, I will be ever mindful of their centrality to our mission.

Over the next several months, I hope to launch a number of initiatives. These will be extensive, including determining how we can become more student centered, how we can continue improving teaching at the institution, commissioning an economic impact study to analyze the university's impact on the state, discussing how we can promote the arts and humanities, analyzing where we can grow our research capacity as well as reduce our carbon footprint as we become sustainable, and conducting a multi-city "listening tour" to hear from university stakeholders across the state and country.

As the state's flagship, we serve all of Arkansas. As such, I hope to deepen our collaboration with other higher education institutions and increase course availability both in Fayetteville and through the University of Arkansas Global Campus, now offering undergraduate and graduate classes in Rogers.

I believe the ultimate success of the university depends on its capacity to demonstrate its usefulness to society. We must be able to explain to the public higher education's essential value. We must demonstrate that we are not only a vehicle for personal opportunity but also a solution to many of society's problems, the wellspring of innovation, and the foundation for economic growth and a better quality of life. 

But above all, I insist on putting students first.

This means developing and implementing the kinds of academic, financial, and social support systems students need to be successful. Keeping tuition and fee increases affordable and commensurate with parents' ability to pay for a quality education is vital, as is eliminating bureaucratic red tape and other obstacles to achievement.

We strive to ensure that no student who is accepted into the university is denied entrance due to his or her pocketbook.

Putting students first also means that we respect our students enough to invite them into a challenging and exciting academic environment while at the same time providing them with the support they need to succeed. The quality of student-faculty interaction must be high, involving opportunities for students to participate in active and collaborative learning. They need access to meaningful educational experiences, such as conducting research or studying abroad. While we offer this learning environment, it can always be bolstered and improved.
To put students first we must put people first. This means continuing to diversify our student population as well as our faculty and staff so that they better reflect the demographics of the state and country. It means ensuring that our faculty and staff are paid competitive wages, currently below-market by as much as 40 percent. This is a real challenge in the face of economic pressures we face.

Concurrently, we need to bolster the faculty in those areas that have seen the most student growth, particularly arts and sciences and education, and this requires funding.

In the mean time, we will be examining every feasible possibility of campus wide cost saving measures. The people of Arkansas need and deserve to know, as do their elected representatives, that we operate a fiscally responsible institution.

We need to ensure that our campus infrastructure remains up to date, and that our technical operations reflect emerging technologies. In the coming years we are looking at renovating a number of campus landmarks to ensure our facilities are in the best possible condition. We will soon begin to build an entirely new research center in the burgeoning field of nanotechnology. We already have some of the best scientists and faculty in the world focusing on this emerging field, and thanks to the governor and legislature and people of Arkansas we will be able to create a new center for our students and faculty.

Finally, to provide our students with adequate support will require the continued generosity of our alumni and friends. Though private support can't be expected to cover wage increases for staff or other areas of facilities management that require state funding, it will continue to be the most important ingredient of our success. We must continue to appeal for investments to be made in the university. Every time we have done so, they have answered the call generously.

I am hopeful that the people of Arkansas will find my administration open, collaborative, straightforward and with an abiding faith in the power of education to change the human condition. I pledge to you to work very hard to lead our university into the future. With your help, I'm very optimistic about that future.

Over the last 11 years, the university has greatly increased its expectations of itself, and aspirations for itself. In the coming years, I hope to meet them, and raise them still further. And in so doing, I intend to always put our students first.

That's a promise.

G. David Gearhart
Chancellor
University of Arkansas