AUBG’s New President Vol. 2




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  • 2014-03-20 17:22:56
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The second presidential candidate, Dr. M. T.*, was introduced in front of students in an extraordinary Student Government (SG) meeting held on Tuesday, March 11 in the Balkansky Academic Center. It has been 14 years since he took the presidential position in the Cazenovia College, Cazenovia, New York and he is now very attracted to the possibility of joining the AUBG community. Dr. M.T. holds a PHD in History from the Carnegie Mellon University in Pennsylvania, USA which helps him see everything through the lens of a historian.
“We believe that you can't draw conclusions without data [...] we are data driven in the way we do our work […] that implies to decision making , to problem solving and to opportunity defining experiences.”
The second presidential candidate was hesitating to answer a question concerning his vision of AUBG.
"I don't want to say too much about that. I can't be presumptuous about my understanding of your institution,“ Dr. M. T. said, “I don't have the exact number of hours I have been on the ground but I know it is not 40 and I think it takes more than say three dozen hours to figure out the complexity of a place like this."
[caption id="attachment_19637" align="alignleft" width="323" caption="The ABF Stuent Center, source: aubg.bg"][/caption] However he did offer a general observation. According to the candidate, we live in a time when the normal order of things involves a significant ongoing change. Consequently, “change” not only drives a great deal of what one does but what one does is often a reaction to a change.  According to Dr. M.T. this institution has a distinct history which dates from the early 90s and yet what worked in 1995 is not going to work in 2015. The second presidential candidate started his career as a middle school teacher before becoming a college President and hence he believes that career paths can take unexpected turns for which one should be prepared.
"You have intention about your career now, but those career fields will keep changing and this institution needs to look at that change and see what the impact is on 'it' and on 'you' [students] and on 'those who follow you' and be prepared to respond to that, " he said.
"Institutions that don't change,” said Dr. M.T.  “Institutions that want to stand still will be left behind. This institution needs to remain preeminent, needs to lead not follow.” When asked what was he proud to achieve in his current position Dr. M.T. mentioned the improved reputation [caption id="attachment_19659" align="alignright" width="311" caption="Main Bulding, source: imc-math.org.uk"][/caption] of the institution and the significant expansion of the enrolment rate which tripled. Additionally, he put an emphasis on the relationships with alumni and "friends" who move the agenda of the institution forward thanks to funding and donations. Improvement of facilities, housing and technologies were yet other things that the candidate mentioned. Transparency ought to be the standard operating position when it comes to management according to Dr. M.T who believes in a participatory leadership style. This is why, the planning processes, as he envisions them, need to be open to everyone who is interested. Financing and budgeting should also be publicly available as there should be nothing to hide.
“There are 5 or 10 ways to spend every dollar , we can discuss it as long as you want but eventually you can spend this one dollar or one whatever once [… ] so it is better to have a broadly based decision in this process where people understand why you made certain choices, “ the candidate said.
The second presidential candidate believes in an ongoing program of development when it comes to faculty and staff. As the capacities of faculty and staff expand, according to the candidate, so do the expectations.  Similarly to students, “success is so available if you just engage in the process that failure is an outcome of choices rather than of anything else,“- same regards the working environment.
“If in fact you are not developing and we are investing in your development, and  if in fact you are not improving and we are investing in your improvement than it cannot be our fault – but if you are not actually doing those things then you share some of the blame,” the candidate said. [caption id="attachment_19658" align="alignleft" width="205" caption="AUBG graduatig class 2011, source: aubg.bg"][/caption] “Professional development of everyone is an obligation of the institution simply because without that your [students’] experience won’t continue to get better and better and better. “
For the second presidential candidate, a refusal to take advantage of learning opportunities from students, faculty and staff is considered “failing”.  “We are obliged to spend the university’s money well; by keeping an employ that won’t get better […] we are knowingly spending the university’s money poorly. If I do that I should be fired- it is an obligation of the job,“ Dr. M.T. said. *It is AUBG Daily's conscious decision to refer to the presidential candidates with their initials and not with their full names in order to prevent unfair advantages from their rivals for the position and securing their confidentiality in front of current employers.