2008 Woodie Awards
New Pa. Chancellor gets positive feedback from faculty
By Amber Wilhelm
Rocket Contributor
Issue date: 9/5/08 Section: News
The newly elected Chancellor of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education, John C. Cavanaugh, opened the lines of communication between SRU faculty and the Pennsylvania state government at an open forum on Aug. 28 in the Swope Music Hall Auditorium.
The job as Chancellor of PSSHE involves lobbying for and dividing state funding between each of Pennsylvania's 14 state universities, SRU President Robert Smith said.
"His interest in seeing that each institution is recognized for what they contribute to higher education in Pennsylvania is encouraging," Smith said.
Bill Williams, the vice president of Academic Affairs at SRU, said that the faculty had a positive response to Cavanaugh's speech and his answers to their questions.
"They felt he was more supportive of faculty and less intrusive than the last chancellor," Williams said.
Dr. Itzi Meztli, an associate professor of English at SRU, was the first to ask a question of Chancellor Cavanaugh at the open forum, one that he felt was the "elephant in the room."
What was Cavanaugh's attitude toward faculty and professors, and would he be as antagonistic as his predecessor?
Cavanaugh described his experience as a faculty negotiator in response to Meztli's question. Cavanaugh said that one must keep an open mind to everyone's point of view.
"The attitude you come in with can create blinders which block other paths that you aren't on," Cavanaugh said. "That's not the attitude I intend to have."
Meztli said after the forum he was looking forward to working with the new chancellor.
Kathy Jack, the executive assistant to the vice president of University Advancement at SRU, said that in her office, which deals with fundraising for scholarships, they are pleased that the new chancellor supports fundraising on the state level.
"People think that because we're a state school, everything is funded, but it's not," Jack said.
The job as Chancellor of PSSHE involves lobbying for and dividing state funding between each of Pennsylvania's 14 state universities, SRU President Robert Smith said.
"His interest in seeing that each institution is recognized for what they contribute to higher education in Pennsylvania is encouraging," Smith said.
Bill Williams, the vice president of Academic Affairs at SRU, said that the faculty had a positive response to Cavanaugh's speech and his answers to their questions.
"They felt he was more supportive of faculty and less intrusive than the last chancellor," Williams said.
Dr. Itzi Meztli, an associate professor of English at SRU, was the first to ask a question of Chancellor Cavanaugh at the open forum, one that he felt was the "elephant in the room."
What was Cavanaugh's attitude toward faculty and professors, and would he be as antagonistic as his predecessor?
Cavanaugh described his experience as a faculty negotiator in response to Meztli's question. Cavanaugh said that one must keep an open mind to everyone's point of view.
"The attitude you come in with can create blinders which block other paths that you aren't on," Cavanaugh said. "That's not the attitude I intend to have."
Meztli said after the forum he was looking forward to working with the new chancellor.
Kathy Jack, the executive assistant to the vice president of University Advancement at SRU, said that in her office, which deals with fundraising for scholarships, they are pleased that the new chancellor supports fundraising on the state level.
"People think that because we're a state school, everything is funded, but it's not," Jack said.
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