Chancellor Gearhart discusses plans and goals
Larry Burge
Issue date: 8/21/08 Section: News
"Students that I work with are terribly, terribly respectful," he said. "There might have been truth to [the idea of a generational communication gap] a generation or two ago, but today I find students understand how to deal with people my age. I find them to be very bright and very savvy."
Gearhart plans to give students what he thinks they want - transparency from their government and university administrators.
"They want to see what you get is what you really are, that you're projecting honesty and telling them the whole story and not holding something back," he said. "My philosophy is if we can't explain our decisions rationally to students, if we can't articulate reasons why we have made a decision, then it's not a very good decision."
Ford has observed Gearhart's student-conscious decision-making.
"Chancellor Gearhart is very careful in every decision he makes to consider what impact that decision will have on students," Ford said.
Equipping students to exceed expectations
To help students reach their educational dreams, Gearhart wants to effect changes in the state education system, he said.
Primary and secondary educators need to help their students better prepare for the rigorous nature of taking college courses, Gearhart said, and the university needs to develop better ways to assist primary and secondary educators by helping them better match their basic student requirements to UA expectations.
"We're planning a tour to visit with state school superintendents, school principals and senior faculty," he said. "Our goal will be to open a dialogue to find out what we need to do to help them better prepare students to attend college."
The UA also needs to lead the way when it comes to distance education, Gearhart said. That "more cutting-edge" educational option would allow students to stay home and use computers or personal communication devices to further their education, he said.
"That might well be the wave of the future, most likely in the next 20 to 25 years," he said.
However easy the new chancellor makes it on students to gain their degrees, though, the responsibility for learning will continue to fall upon students and their individual effort, Gearhart said.
To the new chancellor, students and administrators are partners in the educational process.
Gearhart plans to give students what he thinks they want - transparency from their government and university administrators.
"They want to see what you get is what you really are, that you're projecting honesty and telling them the whole story and not holding something back," he said. "My philosophy is if we can't explain our decisions rationally to students, if we can't articulate reasons why we have made a decision, then it's not a very good decision."
Ford has observed Gearhart's student-conscious decision-making.
"Chancellor Gearhart is very careful in every decision he makes to consider what impact that decision will have on students," Ford said.
Equipping students to exceed expectations
To help students reach their educational dreams, Gearhart wants to effect changes in the state education system, he said.
Primary and secondary educators need to help their students better prepare for the rigorous nature of taking college courses, Gearhart said, and the university needs to develop better ways to assist primary and secondary educators by helping them better match their basic student requirements to UA expectations.
"We're planning a tour to visit with state school superintendents, school principals and senior faculty," he said. "Our goal will be to open a dialogue to find out what we need to do to help them better prepare students to attend college."
The UA also needs to lead the way when it comes to distance education, Gearhart said. That "more cutting-edge" educational option would allow students to stay home and use computers or personal communication devices to further their education, he said.
"That might well be the wave of the future, most likely in the next 20 to 25 years," he said.
However easy the new chancellor makes it on students to gain their degrees, though, the responsibility for learning will continue to fall upon students and their individual effort, Gearhart said.
To the new chancellor, students and administrators are partners in the educational process.
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