Herbert is 'Myles' ahead

Change is afoot at IU this year. Freshmen are required to live in the dorms. Webmail got a face-lift over the summer. And along the way, IU picked up a new president.\nDr. Adam Herbert, from the University of North Florida, was unanimously selected by the IU board of trustees to succeed Myles Brand as IU president. \nHaving supervised a university system of similar size in Florida, Herbert has the requisite experience to lead IU's eight campuses. Much fanfare has followed Herbert, because he is a proven administrator, a proven fundraiser and a respected alumnus of the University of Southern California.\nAs in Florida, Herbert will have a daunting financial situation in front of him. The state is decreasing funding in some areas, and the legislature has considered capping tuition.\nLuckily, private donations are still strong, but Herbert will have to flex that financial muscle of his to keep IU moving forward. \nWhen he arrived on campus, Herbert announced new improvement initiatives for IU to achieve in six areas: organization, economic development, funding, staff salaries and diversity and outreach. Initiatives are good, but we have to be cautious that the initiatives themselves aren't overextending the University, in both resources and finances.\nHerbert has also been getting a lot of attention because of his skin color. In his first press conference as IU president, a reporter asked him how his "background" would contribute to his IU experience. Herbert replied that being a "Floridian in Indiana would be kind of a change."\nHerbert's ability to deflect questions about his race will be a useful trait here in Indiana. He'll have to acknowledge his race when appropriate, work around it when necessary and discount it when questioned. Unfortunately, because of his race, Herbert might have higher expectations heaped on him than others would and will have to walk a tighter rope. But it can be done.\nIn the three months since he was named president, Herbert has busied himself studying the ways of IU, and looking for ways to improve it. Hopefully, the focus and results of Herbert's initiatives will be more fruitful than similar expositions of the past.\nAlready he's proven himself to be more accessible than his predecessor. Wednesday, Herbert addressed the incoming freshmen at their induction ceremony and then rode around the campus on a golf cart greeting the students moving into the residence halls. Only a Wal-Mart greeter sees more people in a day than Herbert did.\nIf Herbert wants the rest of his presidency to go as well as it has over his first three months, he will have to continue to foster dialogue and openness between the student body and the administration. Hopefully, Herbert will take a day on, not a day off, on Labor Day when we return to class. If he does, he will be stepping into Bryan House on the right foot and already on his way to becoming an effective campus leader.