I met people from many different constituencies in the college. It was really a privilege to have a chance to engage so many people about so many issues. Students were involved in the interview process. But I came out of that interview with a very firm commitment in my mind to find ways to upgrade the involvement of our faculty in the wider lives of our students. Faculty members can take individual students to lunch in the faculty dining room to talk about an honors project or a student's career.
Students can invite faculty members to dinner in the dining hall.
So there's a culture on the part of both students and faculty here that I think we can add something to. I don't know whether the faculty fully appreciate the tremendously dedicated work that goes on by the staff members here. In academic advising, in admissions and in counseling, the faculty do not really know the people in these offices. Unless you develop a personal relationship with and knowledge of people in different offices, sometimes you don't fully appreciate what they're doing. I want to try to find ways for staff to get to know the faculty better and vice versa.