by Glenn Goerke
Although I do not know what the Board of Regents' decision will be on Monday morning, I do know that its decision will require the understanding, cooperation and hard work of the entire campus community to implement its plan and help this university get on with its job of providing educational excellence to the region.
Whether the decision is to combine the duties of the UH System Chancellor with those of the president of this campus or to have a revised model of the current UH System structure, there will be concerns and obstacles, and this campus must take a leadership role in seeing that they are addressed and solved.
The spirit of cooperation and inclusiveness that has been awakened through this process, including that among the four UH campuses, must be nurtured and expanded. We must continue to have an open forum in which all university members can deliberate and devise solutions to future challenges.
The students are, and will remain, the most important component of any university organizational structure. UH does not exist in a vacuum; it is a community partnership. Thus the involvement of the area's citizens -- who are the students and alumni -- is necessary to assure the successful implementation of any plan for the future.
Therefore, I would like to personally invite all students to attend the open briefing session that will be held Monday at 10 a.m., following the board's announcement at 8 a.m., in the Shamrock Room of the University Hilton.
The board, Chancellor Hobby and I will be there to talk about the decision and answer questions. We want this to be an open and frank discussion.
We will not have all the answers on Monday; this will be an ongoing process. But we can start out, together, to understand the decision and begin the process of making it work. The most important attributes we can have at this juncture are open minds and the willingness to collaborate with each other and with the other members of the UH System.
The students, like the alumni, are our "eyes and ears" in the community. Your perspectives are invaluable in helping us understand how the new structure will be appreciated and how we can help the community adjust to our new alignment. You can also help assure that making the new structure operational will only enhance and increase the educational opportunities UH provides.
Please make no mistake: How we handle this reorganization will have serious repercussions on the future of this university and its place in the Texas higher educational system.
I firmly believe that for any institution to truly be excellent, leadership must come from everyone, not just administrators. This is precisely the time when the considerable leadership and life skills that you possess as students are needed most as we come together to address these new realities.
I hope you can join me Monday morning.
Goerke is the interim UH president.