Q and A with Adam Herbert

		September 19, 2003

Q and A with Adam Herbert
By Susan Williams

Photo by Chris Meyer

Adam Herbert began his tenure as Indiana University’s 17th president on Aug. 1. He comes to IU from the Florida Center for Public Policy and Leadership at the University of North Florida, where he was the executive director and Regents Professor. Previously, he was the chancellor of the State University System of Florida, and, for nearly 10 years, the president of the University of North Florida.
The new president enjoys collegiate tradition and has started his own on the Bloomington campus. Each morning, he walks from his Bryan House home to his office in Bryan Hall. One recent morning, he also took time to talk with “IU Home Pages” about his initial impressions of IU and of his plans for its future.

Q.
When people meet you around campus, how do you prefer to be addressed—as President Herbert? Dr. Herbert?
A.
Whatever folks feel comfortable with. I don’t focus on that kind of thing.

Q.
Starting a new job is exciting, but it can also be stressful. Do you ever get over the nervousness of starting a new job?
A.
Nervousness is really not the right word. I think that you come into it recognizing how much you don’t know, and you recognize that there are some major challenges that have to be addressed, but I’ve been in the academic world now for almost 35 years. During that period, I’ve seen an awful lot. But every institution is different—the culture, the traditions, the history. I find it more exhilarating than anything else, because it’s an opportunity to learn about new enterprises and to meet new people.

Q.
What are your first impressions of your new home?
A.
First, this campus is very rich with tradition; it’s a beautiful educational setting. I have found a very strong match between the values of this campus and my own from an academic perspective and also, from what I call a ‘moral compass perspective.’ Those things make this a very comfortable kind of campus for me to be a part of. Obviously, the academic traditions of this campus are extremely impressive. This is one of the nation’s most distinguished universities, and I’m just delighted to have the privilege of being part of this academic community.

Q.
Your position as executive director of the Florida Center for Public Policy and Leadership was quite an influential one. Why did you decide to take this job at Indiana?
A.
Some people in Florida asked me that also—why I would leave Florida to come north? And I would tell you that I have been contacted by search firms previously and had expressed no interest in leaving my previous institution.

But the answer is simple. This is a very special university, and it is the only one that I can think of in America that I would have left for. When you take a look at higher education institutions, there are very few that have the multi-campus structure, that have the very rich tradition of liberal arts, that have the outstanding academic as well as athletic programs, and that exhibit a tradition of service to the state. I see an opportunity for this university to play an increasingly important role in shaping the long-term economic growth and development needs of the state. So all of those factors make this very special, and as I talked with a number of people around the country, I was convinced that it was the right place to consider.
Another thing I would share with you and that I told some of my colleagues in Indianapolis is that in 1974, Chuck Bonser, who was then the dean of SPEA (School of Public and Environmental Affairs), offered me a position to head up the SPEA programs in Indianapolis. I chose to become a White House Fellow instead. Now I can correct that lapse in judgment and become a Hoosier, finally, even though it took me three decades to understand that this is where I really belong.

Q.
You are very appreciative of the multi-campus concept. How do you see all of the IU campuses fitting together?
A.
First, you should know that one of the factors that attracted me was the existence of a multi-campus university. Coming from my position as chancellor of the State University System of Florida, I understand the many benefits to the state that come from having a university with multiple campuses. I think the key thing to keep in perspective is that each campus has its unique niche within the broader concept of the university. So, Indiana University is stronger because it has it has an AAU/Big Ten campus, because it has a major urban research campus, and because we have regional campuses throughout the state, each with its own unique character, each addressing totally different needs in the regions in which they are located. And then on top of that, you have medical education delivery sites, some on our campuses and some on others. What that does is supply incredible capacity for service to the people of this state in ways we have not yet tapped fully, but will.

Q.
You have said that you’re still in the ‘learning process,’ but I wonder if you could talk about where you’ll focus your initial attention.
A.
Right now, I’m looking very carefully at organizational structure. The question I pose first is: ‘Is this a university or is it a system?’ I see a wide array of references to individual institutions. I see others to campuses. I see references to system, and I see references to university-wide. We must be clear as to what we are.

I can tell you that I believe this is a university. The question for me is how we can operate at optimal level to ensure that we are functioning as a university, that we are able to take advantage of the individual strengths and locations of each of our campuses. That is the first thing, to be sure that we are operating from both structure and process perspectives in a fashion that is reflective of our commitment to being a single university with multiple campuses. We’ll begin talking about mission and differentiations so that we’re clear about the roles of each of our campuses.
In a much broader context, first, I’m interested in the welfare of students, and I’ll be making some observations about that soon.
Second, I’ll focus on the academic side of the university and how we can strengthen the academic ties that bind us. There also are some areas where I see policy voids, where there are some long-range issues related to matters like the relationship with Ivy Tech, articulation issues and questions about admission standards.

The third area I’ll take a hard look at is government relations. We have to determine whether that area is structured optimally to represent the interests of the university, both in Indianapolis and Washington.

I think the benefit of someone coming in from the outside is that there are fresh eyes looking at the institution. So what I’m trying to do is develop a list of those matters where there is ambiguity. In fact, the way to describe some of this is to say that one of my immediate goals is to reduce institutional ambiguity, clarifying roles—in some cases redefining them and in others, raising critical issues to the forefront .

Q.
You mentioned that you see an opportunity for Indiana University to play a greater role in the economic development of the state. Could you elaborate on that, please?
A.
Across America, what we’re seeing is a growing recognition that the nature of our economy is changing. Manufacturing as a sector of the gross national product across America is shrinking. What we have to deal with is the fact that the economy of this century will be knowledge based and driven.

Historically, universities have been regarded primarily as an institution focused on manpower issues—that is, producing a highly educated workforce. Workforce issues will continue to be important, but there is increasing recognition of a knowledge-based economy environment and that it is from universities that much of this knowledge will be derived. What we learn in our laboratories, what we learn in our medical schools, will have a significant impact on the future of this country and on our economy. You will see universities becoming major players in information technology, in the life sciences and in other very sophisticated areas, including advanced manufacturing. I think that Indiana University should be poised to play a major role in that kind of effort.

Q.
You also mentioned that IU can play a role in not only economic growth, but also community development.
A.
Yes, one of the things we have to understand is that not only are the skills we bring to bear in information technology and in the sciences important, but also that the quality of life in our communities is a major proponent of the decision-making equation businesses use in deciding where to locate. And so what you see is places like Bloomington—places that offer rich cultural traditions, along with the expansion of our activities in the life sciences and increased collaboration with the medical school—making a major difference in their communities.

The same holds true of the state. To the extent that we can serve as a catalytic agent for fostering a greater appreciation for the arts, to the extent that we can play a future role in the areas I described, this state will be transformed. And it’s also important to have Purdue University actively working with us. As I’ve indicated on several occasions, I believe that a major asset in this state is having two very strong, distinguished research universities whose strengths sometimes overlap, but also bring different kinds of intellectual capital to the table. It’s the combination of those individual and collective strengths that will have significant long-term payoffs.

Q.
During the past few years, with more and more concern about accountability, universities have adopted more of a business model of management, which is understandable. But how do you keep that model from interfering detrimentally with traditional values of a university community?
A.
I think that what we in the academy have to understand is that the nature of the environment we operate in has changed dramatically in the past 30 or 40 years. When I came into the academy, legislators never questioned the money that was coming into the university. You would ask for money, and they’d give it to you. Today, we are operating in a totally different kind of environment, one in which accountability is the name of the game for everybody. So, as an overarching concept, I think that you just have to accept the fact that, whether we like it or not, the world has changed. The challenge is to make the adaptations that are necessary to compete effectively in a changed world and know that today there is more competition for limited resources. It’s about accountability; it’s about dealing with the rise in expectations. I believe that you can still maintain a commitment to core values in the context of an accountability-based process.

Frankly, I think that as resources become tighter, it is even more important to focus on clearly articulating goals and to expect accountability. The irony, of course, is that accountability is not new to the university campus. Every day we go into a classroom, there are accountability expectations; we hold our students accountable for performance. With regard to athletics, we hold our athletes and teams accountable for performance. We hold our budget offices accountable to assuring that our books balance. We expect all units of the university to operate within a balanced budget context. There is accountability here. It’s just that the expectations have changed, and as resources become more difficult to find, we’re forced to operate and think in different ways. But, ultimately, I have no doubt that we can maintain the core values and the institutional character of our enterprise.

Q.
How do you see athletics fitting into the larger educational mission of our university?
A.
I think that athletics are a very important component of campus life. It is possible to have a university without intercollegiate athletics, but normally you will always see intramural athletics on every campus. Athletics teach very important lessons. As an athlete, you understand the importance of a plan—you have a game plan. You understand the importance of personal responsibility as each player has a role to play that ties back into a game plan. It stresses the importance of responsibility to the team. It stresses the importance of leadership and gives lessons in leadership. I think one of the things it also helps us to understand is how to deal with both victory and defeat. Both of those are important in our lives. I see athletics as being a critical component of what we do on campus, both intramural and intercollegiate.

Intercollegiate athletics lend another dimension as well in that they provide an opportunity to bind closer to the university our alumni and friends. They bring a source of pleasure for those who go to the games and foster institutional pride. I see all those things as being important.
The key is to maintain athletics in the proper perspective. We have to keep in mind that it is an activity of the university, and we must be sure that the tail never wags the dog.

That to me is a character issue. The challenge is to always be true to our core values, that first and foremost we are a place for learning. One of the things you will hear from me is that I am very ‘values driven.’ I feel very strongly about principles that guide us. Policies are always principle based and come back, ultimately, to our core values.

Q.
You’ve made a point of meeting as many people as you possibly can, but you still have a lot more to go. What would you say to those you’ve not met yet?
A.
I’ve only been here for about six weeks now, so it takes times to get around campus, but we’ll start walking through some other buildings soon. If you were to call folks at North Florida where I was president, what you’d hear is that I was around campus a great deal. I attended a lot of functions. Just before I left, there was a reception for six of the staff in the physical plant area—custodial staff—and I went to that. There was one university vice president there, and that was it, but I knew everyone there. So I care deeply about all of my colleagues, and we’re all part of this together. The thing that stands out is that whether you’re in the classroom or you’re supporting the students in part of their total life experience on campus, all are doing some important things that will make a difference. I value all of those contributions and look forward to the opportunity of meeting as many of my colleagues on the faculty and on the staff as I can. We’ll be doing that on this campus as well as on the others.

Q.
Will you teach here at IU?
A.
I will eventually teach here. It’s very difficult when you first come here. It’s just too much for me to learn, but eventually, I look forward to doing that. I came into the academy not to be a university president, but to be a teacher, a professor. I love professing. And, I’ve been invited to make some presentations and take part in some seminars.

Q.
Is there anything else you’d like to say?
A.
I’m delighted to be at IU, and so far, I’ve enjoyed being in Bloomington. I’ve found it reassuring to talk with so many members of the university family who love being here. In fact, I’ve attended meetings, and I’ve walked around, and I frequently ask, ‘How long have you been here?’ And I find that a lot of people have been here a long time. Part of what that gives me is the sense of the institution. It says a little bit about the pride that people feel for Indiana University.

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