Even though nobody knows what George Mason University will look like in ten or fifteen years, Dr. David Wu, the university's new provost, shared some of his thoughts on the future with Volgenau School of Engineering faculty and staff on Wednesday, August 20.
In his remarks during a town hall meeting, Wu described the provost's role and three of his goals for Mason. Wu subdivided his role into four areas: clarifying the intellectual signature of the university, determining structures and resources, setting priorities, and most important, energizing the campus for action.
He also spoke about the tough realities of limited resources outdated structures and alluded to the need for a new way of doing business, "We can't be all things to all people," said Wu. "I'm not the godfather provost who will make your troubles go away. I am here to help you find the tools to do your job."
Wu sees his role as motivator and catalyst. In an age of dwindling state resources, he thinks the university community will need to become even more entrepreneurial, look for untapped funding sources, and find new collaborations. One thing we do know about the future–state funding will not increase.
The provost plans to focus on research and multidisciplinary education, online learning, and global activities. Strategically leveraging these areas can distinguish Mason from its competitors. Wu emphasized the need to use programs that generate revenue to help fund resource challenged areas.
Even though he is an advocate for online education, the provost concluded his remarks by saying that he won't be blogging because he "enjoys face-to-face meetings and real time dialogue."
After the remarks faculty asked questions about resources, funding, and graduate study. Wu's visit concluded with a tour of the school's seven departments and a meeting with the department chairs.