University President Larry Bacow has been on campus for just two weeks, but he and his wife Adele are already making an effort to meet students and faculty. By working as a freshman advisor, attending student performances, and jogging through campus each morning, Bacow says he hopes to meet as many undergraduates as possible.
Bacow, who left his post as MIT chancellor last May to assume the presidency at Tufts, officially became the University's 12th president on Sept. 1 after working on campus all summer.
"Some of the [students] don't know who we are yet," he said. "Hopefully, that will change over time." But other students, including the ten in Bacow's freshman advising group, say they're already acquainted with the new president. "It's a good way to see [Tufts] through the eyes of students," Bacow said. "It's been enormously valuable."
Bacow has also encouraged resident assistants to invite him and his wife to dinner in residence halls and fraternities, and has attended campus events such as the music department's orientation concert as well the campus center carnival, A Wee Bit Warm. On Friday night, Bacow appeared at Hillel's religious services and dinner.
"We hope to be a visible presence on campus," Bacow said. "We're looking forward to getting to know people and we hope that students will invite us to various events."
While former President John DiBiaggio was often seen on campus walking his terriers, Bacow - who is allergic to dogs - said he will travel the University streets at a faster pace. "People should know we're avid runners," he said. "We run every morning and we welcome the opportunity to run with students."
Bacow first addressed the Tufts community at matriculation [see exerpts, page ?] where he said that he is as new to Tufts as the incoming freshmen. Addressing topics such as notable alumni, life in Boston, and Tufts' faculty, he spoke of building bridges between Tufts' undergraduate and graduate communities.
"Recognize, too, that in addition to our excellent undergraduate college, Tufts offers you all the benefits of a first-rate research university," Bacow said in his matriculation address. "[The graduate] schools all offer seminars, lectures, and opportunities to collaborate with faculty on research. Get to know them... It will help you to appreciate the vitality of Tufts."
Over the past weeks, Bacow has met with faculty, but he has not yet made any decisions for administrative changes. "I've been talking to the faculty of the School of Arts and Sciences about the structure and leadership of the school," Bacow said.
Through informal discussions, the new president is gathering faculty opinions related to the office of the vice president of arts and sciences, which was vacated by Mel Bernstein in May. By October, Bacow said he will either fill the position or eliminate it.
Though Bernstein is gone, Bacow said that the administration has reliable temporary replacements in Ioannis Miaoulis, dean of engineering, and Susan Ernst, dean of natural and social sciences. "We have a good interim process in place," Bacow said. Ernst and Miaoulis "have stepped up and taken on additional responsibilities, as have other people in leadership positions," he added.
The role of the vice provost is also under consideration, now that June Aprille, the former vice provost, has resigned. Yesterday, Bacow said the office may be combined with another position or kept at a part-time status.
An environmental economist and lawyer, Bacow was chosen from the four finalists recommended by the presidential search committee. More than 100 candidates were reviewed over an eight-month period.
Bacow served as MIT's chancellor for three years, where he oversaw student life and services, research policy, and management of the school's institutional partnerships. Among the international initiatives Bacow coordinated was the Cambridge-MIT Institute - a $135 million partnership funded by British government and private industry. The institute supports joint research, curriculum development and teaching, and student, faculty, and staff exchanges.
