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From excellence to eminence

Posted on | November 4, 2009 | 623 views |

By E. Gordon Gee

Two years since my return to Ohio State, I have become convinced that this is — without question — the university’s unmatched moment of potential. Our time to push forward strategically, aggressively and creatively. Our time to fulfill our great promise.

Because this university is exceptionally strong, wonderfully complex and truly comprehensive, we have a limitless capacity to do good in the world: To feed the hungry; to cure disease and solve the most vexing problems in global health; to bring joy and enrichment to others through arts and culture; to help emerging democracies establish sound foundations; to educate students fully prepared for leadership in a global context; and, through realizing our potential in those areas, to help create a strong future for our state and our nation.

That is neither presidential posturing nor wishful thinking. After three decades of leading universities, I have acquired some perspective on higher education. And I know the markers of exceptional quality. Ohio State is a place of vast intellectual capital, enormous imagination and manifest vitality. We are blessed with unparalleled support from elected officials, alumni and friends. Taken together, our resources at this moment are without peer.

A few days after returning to Ohio State in October 2007, I outlined six strategic priorities that guide my decision-making and those of our senior administrative team. Succeeding in those areas requires us to create the environment — the campus culture — that enables us to match our great human expertise to the great human needs in our communities.

But making real, tangible and enduring progress against those priorities requires the university to function in new ways.

This university is a massive enterprise, and we must use that to our great advantage. We must determine how to be both big and entrepreneurial in approaching our work.

Our task today is to make the changes necessary, in ourselves and in the university’s academic and administrative structures, which enable us to achieve the eminence that is within our grasp.

That means simplifying our processes, realigning our efforts and changing the ways we interact with one another.

Together, we must create a high-performance culture that values collaboration, tolerates risk and rewards shared success.

We must think and act as a unified, integrated and cohesive institution. Shed old habits and mindsets that do not move us or our students forward. Nurture the best in ourselves and in one another. Seek partners across the institution and outside of it. And act quickly when opportunities arise. We must move from being risk-averse to risk-tolerant. Well-calculated gambles that incorporate strategic direction will produce results that are otherwise unattainable.

Whether we are faculty members, admissions counselors, veterinary technicians or nurses, we must be mindful of two things: First, making a career at this university is not a job — it is a calling; and second, our work is of first-order importance. Abraham Lincoln signed the law creating our land-grant institutions during the darkest hours of the Civil War because he understood that higher education was the key to improving lives, enhancing communities and sustaining our democracy. Those noble purposes form the core of our daily activities.

Each day, I approach my work with a mix of passion and impatience that stems from seeing the institution’s exceptional potential.

I am fully committed to assuring that we realize our aspirations, and I am grateful for your partnership in that effort.

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