Walking A Mile In Chancellor Gearhart’s Shoes

Cyd King with our content partner, The City Wire, spent Day Two of the new semester at the University of Arkansas following Chancellor David Gearhart.

His day begins early around 5:30 with a dose of NPR news and involves Diet Pepsi (not Diet Coke) and numerous meetings.

King, who was granted all access, chronicles a typical day.  For example, a post-lunch meeting reveals:

Suzanne McCray, vice provost for enrollment services, leaves and in comes Vice Chancellor for Advancement Brad Choate and Hardin Young, manager of executive communications.

They’re here to write a script for a speech Gearhart will give a roomful of volunteer fundraisers on Sept. 14.

The university is in the quiet phase of a large-scale fundraising campaign that’s expected to kick into full gear a couple of years from now. As of now, there is no formal name or monetary goal.

“It’s sort of the worst kept secret,” Gearhart said.

He directs Young to write a 12-15 minute speech concentrating on his dreams and aspirations for the university. The lead-in will include Gearhart’s success with the $1 billion campaign he led several years ago.

“When we celebrate the sesquicentennial, what is possible for us? I think we can become one of the Top 50 public research universities in America,” aspires Gearhart.

“I think this has to be put in the context of not only how this is good for the university, but how it’s good for the state,” Choate adds.

“The vehicle to get there is this campaign,” he says.

They dub the speech Vision 150, and they’re off to carry out the chancellor’s wishes.

You can read more at this link.