University president George Ross has big tasks ahead of him
The Central Michigan University Board of Trustees surprised the rest of CMU when it named George Ross the 14th university president on Thursday.
After all, despite setting a goal of naming the successor to interim Kathy Wilbur for Jan. 1, nowhere on the Trustees’ agenda did it say they would name a new president Thursday.
Ross is a former vice president of finance and administrative services at CMU and, right now, is the university president at Alcorn State University. He has a lot to work out at CMU as he takes the position of university president.
Here is some advice from the editorial board on how he can leave a lasting legacy on the university:
Leadership
The first thing Ross will have to do is distinguish himself as a leader.
He cannot be a carbon copy of former university president Michael Rao, whom Ross worked for before leaving for Alcorn State. Rao put into motion a $24-million medical school at CMU, along with several other multi-million-dollar projects and left before even a groundbreaking.
With state funds slashed, enrollment declining and an even bleaker picture for the next 2-3 years in terms of CMU’s budget, Ross will have to demonstrate good leadership and earn the trust of the students. It is their money that is most important — their increasing tuition better go toward benefitting them.
Money
Ross has to keep a sharp eye on both the university budget and CMU’s image.
Money at Central is tight, and is expected to be tighter in the next few years. He will have to cut excess spending from the budget, using valuable tuition dollars on what CMU needs to survive.
The new university president was involved in 2005 with starting the CMU Promise, which set a fixed tuition rate for up to five years for new students.
However, with only the ability to raise tuition for incoming freshmen and cuts in state appropriations to deal with, the university had to raise tuition higher than normal. Now CMU is among the top third most expensive of Michigan’s 15 public universities after being one of the cheapest several years ago. Ross would be wise to keep the university from breaking similar promises — and letting CMU suffer the consequences.
Students
Finally, Ross should take time to meet with students, just like interim president Kathy Wilbur did this semester. Wilbur met with students in classrooms and residence halls, allowing for more one-on-one dialogue between students and the administration. Ross should do the same, making sure that students know who he is. The more in sync he is with students, the more he’ll know what students want.
CMU is not in the best of shape as of late. A new change in leadership could turn things around, or make them worse. We’ll have to wait and see if Ross will be the leader that CMU needs.
