Student leaders optimistic about new administration

Serving as a climax to what has been a four-month-long welcoming party, IU President Michael McRobbie’s inauguration Thursday might well have also signaled the end of a transition period that University officials described as essential for the leader’s future success. \nMcRobbie’s work so far has focused primarily on filling vacant administrator positions and laying the groundwork for what he hopes to achieve during the next few years.\nIn his inaugural address Thursday, McRobbie unveiled plans for IU to renew a focus on two areas he said should remain at the core of an institution: research and education.\nThis has been encouraging news for faculty members who have vied for greater research capabilities. McRobbie has been praised for these ambitions by both colleagues and student leaders. They hope these projects can bring IU to the forefront of national research institutions.\n“We’ve got the champion sitting in the chair right now,” said IU Student Association President W.T. Wright, describing the president’s potential for expanding these diverse studies. \nUniversity officials have carefully ensured that McRobbie’s transition into the limelight smoothed over bumps left behind by his predecessor’s controversy. It is an idea University trustees have set forth from the start: nurture McRobbie and allow him chances for success that former President Adam Herbert might never have had, University officials – including former President Adam Herbert himself – have said.\nAlready, McRobbie seems to have secured popularity among the constituencies who might later influence the president’s effectiveness as a leader. Even before McRobbie’s tenure unofficially began July 1, many faculty members praised new research opportunities and described the president as a man who, most simply, produced tangible results.\nAnd while concerns have risen about McRobbie’s dedication to students – especially undergraduates – several of his initiatives over the past few months have helped dissolve that image. Speaking directly on educating students, McRobbie suggested he would follow in the footsteps of legendary IU President Herman B Wells in beginning a “pursuit of academic excellence in teaching, discovery and creative activity.”\nDuring his inauguration speech, McRobbie seemed confident in his vision for the University. His steady transition to president the past summer may have provided him the opportunity to get acclimated to his new position. In contrast to the challenges Herbert faced as an outsider attempting to learn IU’s culture, McRobbie has been at IU for more than a decade. \n“I’ve been here 11 years,” McRobbie said. “I know the place pretty thoroughly.” By keeping many of the same personal staff he had as interim provost, the president said their consistency helped make the transition easier. \nWith some student leaders initially hesitant of a new administration, McRobbie’s apparent focus on student needs has caused many organizers to sing praise. He has instituted weekly walk-in office hours – a move that Wright said was “one of the best things that could have happened.”\nAlong with creating office hours, the student VOICE initiative has been another way McRobbie has attempted to open lines of communication between administrators and students. VOICE aims to open a dialogue between the student body and administrators. Wright said he is excited about the group and that the group is already meeting regularly to create a report of student needs for McRobbie.\nWith some students hesitant about the new administration’s capability to address student needs, it’s ultimately McRobbie’s ability to turn words into actions that will determine student approval, Wright said.\n“How he deals with this could be a testament to his administration,” he said.