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Candidate sees potential in UH

Universities should push boundaries, Brehm says in forum

by Dusti Rhodes
The Daily Cougar

Sharon Stephens Brehm wants to be a part of UH's "rising star."

Brehm, a candidate for UH provost, said she was drawn to the University because it is on the verge of excellence.

"This is an institution set to go forward," Brehm, the sixth provost candidate to visit UH since the search began in the fall, said during a campus forum Wednesday.

She now serves as a senior adviser to Indiana University President Adam Herbert, having stepped down Jan. 1 as chancellor of Indiana University-Bloomington and president of academic affairs for the seven-campus IU system.

At UH, Brehm said academic excellence, diversity and partnerships can help the school meet its potential. Although the phrase "academic excellence" is overused, Brehm said, universities must seek to push their boundaries farther.

"Wherever the benchmark is, we want to move it forward," Brehm said.

Brehm also discussed the importance of partnerships between higher education, governments and the private sector, saying that creating partnerships creates a more pleasant university environment and helps retain students and faculty.

Faculty recruitment and retention became a hot topic in the forum, as audience members asked what Brehm would do to help UH compete with other universities.

Brehm said salaries, benefits and quality of life are the major issues in keeping and attracting faculty, but dual-career hiring -- which Brehm has championed during her administrative career -- is becoming more vital among higher education employees.

"If two people have jobs that they both like, the odds they will leave here are much lower," she said.

Brehm said a distinguished faculty is a key to attracting better students, but salaries are not the only thing potential faculty look for. Facilities like laboratories and performing arts venues draw prospects as well, she said.

Asked whether using other universities' policies as a model for retention is a mistake, Brehm said it can be helpful to borrow ideas.

"Stealing ideas from other institutions is a way of life in academia," she said, adding that some of the most valuable things she has gained from meetings and conferences came from casual hallway conversations comparing her institution with others.

Brehm was the last of six candidates for UH provost and UH System vice chancellor for academic affairs. University President Jay Gogue said Wednesday he hopes to have a report from the provost search committee in a few days.
 

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