This is exactly what a good president should do. Ultimately, you must develop the enthusiastic support of the faculty and staff for the mission of the university. Everyone I've talked to, from the students and faculty to the governor and the Board of Regents, sees this university as a place whose time has come, and everybody wants to go for it. The secret, he says, is differentiating the activity and progress. Activity is very easily achieved.
Progress is the trick.
Maryland's need is a good fit for my skills and the things I like to do. If there's one thing Mote wants the campus to know about him, it's that he's a serious academic person. If you don't have quality academics, you don't have much. Mote, who also holds a chair in engineering, will continue to supervise graduate students while serving as president. Mote's wife, Patsy, he says, is equally enthusiastic about being at the University of Maryland.