Student voices heard

In February, when the Presidential Search Committee surveyed students about what they were looking for in a new president, the overwhelming response was a leader who focuses on undergraduate education and welcomes interaction with students.

Most students said that Manuel Pacheco was inaccessible and unconcerned with the student perspective during his time as president of the University of Arizona.

After a six-month nationwide search that produced more than 100 candidates, it appears that the search committee has taken the results of its student survey to heart.

All three candidates interviewing this week for the position, Carol Cartwright, Stanley Chodorow and Peter Likins, have demonstrated a devotion to undergraduate education and addressing the needs of students.

Cartwright, who became Kent State University's first female president in 1991, combines experience running a large research-oriented university with all of the qualities that students are looking for in a president.

Amid major cuts in funding for higher education in Ohio, Cartwright has faced criticism throughout her presidency for cutting various athletic and academic programs, said Andrea Weigl, managing editor of the Daily Kent Stater.

But at a time when tuition was on the rise, Cartwright made a concerted effort to give back to the students. She donated her entire pay raise to launch what has become Kent State's most successful scholarship fund. She also reaches out on a personal level , hosting weekly coffee meetings with students in the student union.

Weigl described Cartwright as "easy to talk to" and "very accessible."While serving as provost at Pennsylvania University, Chodorow has also developed a reputation for being a conscientious and personable administrator.

According Mike Madden, managing editor of the Daily Pennsylvanian, Chodorow is the kind of administrator that "still has chalk marks on his shirt sleeve."

Madden said Chodorow, who often takes large groups of students out to dinner, enjoys finding ways to interact with students on an informal level.

Likins, a seasoned academic administrator, has won praise as president of Lehigh University for being an affective communicator and building strong personal ties with students. Likins said he meets with student leaders regularly and likes to interact with students on a first name basis.

To gain a better perspective on student life at Lehigh, Likins and his wife once spent a week in the dormitories.

So, aside from seeking out candidates with tangible qualifications, like the ability to implement strategic plans, balance a budget, and provide leadership for the administration of a large Research I university, the search committee was careful to bear i n mind the wishes of students.

From a student's perspective, each of the candidates interviewing this week offers what Pacheco did not. Each has demonstrated a genuine willingness to hear and consider student voices.