Posted: 03/07/07

The opportunity

Jake Dubuque | contributing columnist
jdubuque@smcvt.edu

Over and over again these past few weeks I’ve heard the words "wait and see." From the faculty to the students to the staff, there is an atmosphere of caution surrounding the next president of the college. Some are cautiously optimistic that he will strengthen the business program or athletics, that he will build the endowment. Some are cautiously apprehensive that he will not be as approachable as our outgoing President vanderHeyden. In a sense, the college has entered a holding pattern—waiting to see what the next president’s priorities and personality will be.

Certainly the presidency of Jack Neuhauser will bring changes to the college. There is an almost universal hope that he can translate his success at Boston College into success for Saint Michael’s College. Ultimately, the strength and success of his presidency will lie in his leadership ability to manage competing interests and effectively implement a vision for the college. What is this vision? Should we wait and see?

Many have commented that because Neuhauser is a former trustee, he has the advantage of already being familiar with the college, its strengths and its weaknesses. But I’ve always wondered just how familiar the trustees are with the vision of the students. From many students who have sat in on their meetings, I’ve heard that the Board is more concerned with prospective students and alumni than those of us currently attending. If Neuhauser is going to be successful, he will have to overcome that handicap. I say handicap because current students are an invaluable and often underutilized resource on campus. Not only are we simply more accessible, but we live the Saint Mike's experience every day and every single one of us has thoughts on how to make this a better institution.

I can accept a "wait and see" mentality from the faculty, but not from students. This is a moment we cannot let pass by; this is an opportunity that must be taken. As the soon-to-be-president Neuhauser is developing his vision for the college, students have our best chance to influence what the ultimate vision will be. In addition to planning P-Day and Senior Week, the Student Association should be fostering a discussion on what the students’ vision for the college is.

It may be that students disagree with President vanderHeyden’s decision to deemphasize varsity athletics. We may want to encourage the development of our basketball and field hockey teams. We may think that it is a high priority to find a donor to build an ice rink on campus for our hockey teams. Wouldn’t it be great if Neuhauser knew how we felt about sports?

The Student’s Rights Protest demonstrated that a number of students chafe under the ever more restrictive policies of the student handbook and are still forced to live on campus. Perhaps students would prefer that next year’s budget allocated money for two new professors instead of the two new positions for security. Our vision of the college might include enough desirable housing—like townhouses for all seniors. It might also include thermostats in each room, or at least one per house. The next administration might speculate about what students want, but how powerful would it be if we could hand Neuhauser a document addressing our concerns and outlining our vision for the college?

Some of the most important issues to address in the vision are of academic nature. It is not unreasonable to expect that the results from the SUMMAs ought to be made available online for students. Holding tenured faculty accountable is just as important as determining the ability of new professors to impart knowledge. Students ought to have the right to have wireless internet access in their rooms—whether it’s provided by their own routers or infrastructure installed by the school. The study abroad program should be fully funded and the cap limiting the number of students who are allowed to go abroad in the spring should be permanently removed. There should be a study space available on campus 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and the library should finally get a café.

Many of these issues have been around for a while, but have never been successfully implemented because of entrenched interests. I would imagine that the student vision for the college is very similar to the vision of the faculty and administration: we want the school to provide a relevant, world-class education in a community environment. We want our investment to be worth our time and money and we want the college to succeed. Determining the philosophical goals of this Catholic institution is the easy part. The real contribution is how students would like to see those goals achieved.

The Student Association’s Academics Committee will be preparing a report on the state of academics for the next president. I encourage other student entities both inside the S.A. and outside of it to formulate a similar document. Perhaps the Echo and Defender would write a few pages on their vision for student journalism on campus. Some of the captains of our student athletics might detail their ambitions. Then, a student report on the “State of the College” could be presented to Neuhauser, and I think that would send a powerful message that not only are students engaged on campus, but that our input will be critical to insuring the success of the institution.