Gordon Gee takes office

E. Gordon Gee began his tenure as the seventh Chancellor in the 125-year history of Vanderbilt University Monday, July 31. Since the Feb. 7 announcement that he would succeed then-Chancellor Joe. B. Wyatt, Gee visited campus twice a month to meet with faculty and administrators. Gee is also a professor of law.

As his temporary office space in Sarratt Student Center suggests, Gee plans to maintain a highly visible profile. Near the elevator on the third floor are three ceiling-to-floor windows with a hand-painted sign that reads, "Please don't feed the Chancellor-elect." It was posted anonymously, but left there by Gee.

"I want the Chancellor's office to be a place where people come because they want to, not because they're condemned to do so," he said recently.

He and his wife Constance, an associate professor of public policy and education at Peabody College, plan eventually to occupy the Chancellor's Residence in Belle Meade.

In some regards, Gordon Gee is a peculiar man. He carries two briefcases, one for "Chancellor duties," the other for long-term projects. He and Constance have a 3-year-old standard poodle named Lucille, after B.B. King's legendary guitar. When John Hall, former chairman of the Vanderbilt Board of Trust, called Providence, R.I. to talk with Gee about the job, former Beatle George Harrison answered the phone.

"He, Constance and I are friends," he said matter-of-factly.

Though he claims not to be a photo buff, Gee can identify obscure camera brands from across the room. He enjoys travel and likes going to movies.

"I don't play golf or tennis, if that's what you mean by 'hobby,'" he said, though he rises early to exercise most every day.

Gee, who spent three years in Germany as a Mormon missionary, speaks three languages and is an avid reader.

He recently spent time with the Vanderbilt Register to help put the early days of his administration into perspective.

Q: How often were you on Vanderbilt's campus after leaving Brown?

A: I've been back and forth approximately every other week, which has given me a real opportunity to understand the institution at a depth that I have never fully been able to do when I took on other presidencies. I feel well-informed and well-prepared, and I am certainly excited about the future. The thing which surprises me the most about Vanderbilt is the fact that I've found no surprises. Generally, as I've moved from institution to institution, someone will say to me in the second or third week, "Oh, by the way, the legislature is going to cut your budget," or, "The medical school is in deep financial trouble." This is a remarkable institution. It is a great American university doing what it should be doing: creating an exciting and exhilarating intellectual life for those who are here.

Q: When did you move into your
temporary office in Sarratt?

A:We've had this space since May. I identified it early on because obviously the Chancellor is in the Chancellor's Office, and I thought it was inappropriate to pitch a tent on Alumni Lawn [laughs]. I wanted to be in a place where I could get a rhythm of the campus during this transition. Eventually I will be in Kirkland Hall, but even if the space had been available, I still would have moved into here for a period of time. It gives me a chance to see faculty, staff and students and get a sense about Vanderbilt.

Q: Your office is in a fairly high-traffic area. Do many people stop by?

A:Oh yes, all the time. They come by and wave. They make me feel very welcome. I have met a lot of students and faculty and staff who I wouldn't have otherwise met. I also think that it makes the notion of being Chancellor much less intimidating. People can see that you are enjoying doing your work.

Q: Will you be teaching at the Law School in the fall?

A: I will eventually, but not this year. I need to devote myself to getting my feet on the ground, and I will not do myself or the students a service if I'm unable to devote the attention that they would expect in the classroom. Law school is very demanding, and I'm very demanding when I teach. I want to meet the students' expectations and my own.

Q: What changes do you see taking place over the next few months?

A: Most of what I've done in the past five months has been in the form of a conversation with the Vanderbilt community. I've talked with faculty, students, staff, trustees, alumni, friends and critics. I've also tried to meet with our neighbors, the people in the Nashville community who see Vanderbilt from a little bit of a distance. But with all that, it would be unwise of me to say, "This is Vanderbilt, and this is where we're going right now." I still have a lot to learn. I'm interested in the quality of our undergraduate programs, in sustaining and strengthening them. I'm equally devoted to finding a solution for making our graduate programs stronger, too. We've got a challenge in maintaining a high-quality undergraduate experience and still having world-class graduate and research programs, in the best spirit of a university-college, where you have a big "U" and a big "C", with the "U" being graduate departments and research, and the "C" being our undergraduate schools. So, holding that balance and seeing the world-class professional schools take a wider role in raising the academic volume outside the confines of just professional education is another major challenge. And, of course, we've got to make our budget systems, which work well, work even better for the future.

I'm also very interested in the whole issue of "community" -- how we build it, how we nurture it, how we make sure that people are enthusiastic and committed to Vanderbilt and its missions. We've got to ask, "How is Vanderbilt committed to Nashville, to the region, to the world? What kind of global leadership role will we assume?" Obviously, our impact in this area is huge -- we meet the health care needs of an entire region, for example -- but we also have to understand that we have been given the gift of national and global leadership.

Q: You mentioned the quality of the
undergraduate program. What are some
of the red flags you see there?

A: Vanderbilt has a clear devotion to teaching. Our students receive a high-quality undergraduate experience within the classroom, but I think the challenge is in what takes place outside the classroom. What is the intellectual life on campus, what is the social life on the campus, and how do those two intersect?

I'm also interested in making certain that all of our students feel that there is a place for them at Vanderbilt. There is a very strong fraternity and sorority system, for example. Well, sometimes it appears that's all that is available. The truth of the matter is that's not the case -- only 40 percent of our students are in fraternities or sororities. But as strong as the system is, that should not be the only alternative. We're also taking a look at how we structure the physical plant of the University to make sure our students have an ongoing relationship with the academic life in the residence halls, to make certain we have programs -- in terms of extracurricular activities -- to stimulate the opportunity for students to grow both socially and intellectually. So it's in that area that I find not red flags, but yellow flags and bright opportunities.

Q: Were you part of the Greek system as an undergraduate at the University of Utah?

A: Yes, I was a member of the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity. I think the Greek system has an important role to play in the University, but we need to have a host of opportunities and options available to students outside the Greek system.

Q: What role does cultural diversity play
in the academic life of the University?

A: The issue of diversity is very important to me and to Vanderbilt. If Vanderbilt is going to engage in leadership at a global level, which is the role of great institutions, we have to have a student body and a faculty which represents that. I would like to see the University have more challenges from people with different ideas, different backgrounds and different views of the world.

Q: How do you and Constance like living in Nashville?

A: Constance is from North Carolina, and feels very much at home in the South. We both feel very, very welcome. Nashville is a wonderful city and I feel very comfortable already.

Q: What are some of the attributes that you like about Nashville?

A: I think it's a city that offers a lot of diversity. It's a city that has a great deal of culture. It has good restaurants, friendly people and it's a very easy city to navigate. It also is a city that has great natural beauty and lovely parks.

Q: When do you plan to move into the Chancellor's Residence?

A: I don't know. The residence hasn't had any substantial renovation for many years. There are infrastructure issues such as plumbing, ventilation and making it accessible to the disabled. But, once it is done, everyone will know because we will have lots of events out there. We entertain very regularly, and much of that will be to raise funds and to make people feel committed to the University.

Q: You have arrived at the University at an interesting time.

A:You're absolutely right. There is almost a half-billion dollars worth of construction and renovation going on right now. That is a lot for any university, and for an institution of this size, it is extraordinary. I never want to be the chancellor of a university that doesn't have a lot of ongoing construction. It shows that you're not making the kind of progress that you should be making. You never want to be the chancellor of a university that doesn't have an expanding library, doesn't have world-class technology and doesn't have a few cranes around.

Q: Are you finding a spiritual home here in Nashville?

A: There is a lively Mormon community in Nashville. In fact, they just built a Mormon temple here. I have yet to attend church because I haven't been here on a Sunday. But, I have already contacted my ecclesiastical leaders to let them know that I'm looking forward to joining their church.