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August 2007
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CAMPUS NEWS |
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Hundreds Gather at Katzen Arts Center for Announcement of AU's 14th President At approximately 1:15 p.m. on Friday, July 20, the announcement that thousands of AU faculty, staff, students, and alumni had patiently been waiting for, was officially delivered to a packed house at the Katzen Arts Center.
Board of Trustees Chair Gary Abramson, in the same auditorium that bears his family's name, introduced President-Elect Neil Kerwin, SPA/BA ’71 as AU's 14th president. Community members welcomed the decree with thunderous cheers and a nearly two-minute long standing ovation as Kerwin took the podium – a clearly popular decision with most of those in attendance. Kerwin will become the university’s first alumnus to be president, having spent the majority of his academic and professional career as an Eagle. He left northwest Washington to earn an MA in political science from the University of Rhode Island in 1973 and a PhD from Johns Hopkins University 1978. Since then, his titles at AU have ranged from SPA professor and dean, to provost, to interim president. He is a nationally recognized specialist in public policy and the regulatory process. In a press conference with D.C. media and flanked by Board Chair Abramson and his chief of staff, David Taylor, Kerwin answered questions and expanded on the search process, his role as interim during the past two years, and offered some insight into the types of issues he would like to see the university focus on under his leadership. “I think the first thing is to develop a strategic plan,” explained Kerwin. “It’s time we engage the university community in a collective process for helping to define the future. That will be a very early step for me come this fall. In fact, as we speak we are collecting information from institutions that we ourselves hold in high regard so that we may learn from the best that is being done in the field (higher education).” When asked what he was feeling internally during the crowd’s obvious show of support in his appointment earlier that day, Kerwin reflected by saying “there are a couple times in your life that you’ll always remember, and that’s one of them. It was remarkable, it was gratifying, and it means an immense amount to me to hear and to see it.” According to Student Government President Joe Vidulich, SPA ’08, Kerwin is very well liked on campus – “a friend of the students.” Alumni and faculty members alike have also been supportive of the board’s appointment, e-mailing messages of approval that one of AU’s own has taken the reigns. “It’s absolutely fantastic – not just that an alum is going to be president, but this particular alum,” said Alumni Association President Brian Keane. “I really think he has the vision and passion to take this university to the next level.” Prior to the media session’s conclusion, Kerwin answered a question regarding what excited him most about the presidency, or what was the “fun” part of the job. “The part that I’ve enjoyed since the moment I became interim president was the opportunity to go out and tell the story of the institution to people who might not know it as well as I or others in this room do. When you go off campus and tell a group of people who may not be aware that for three years running AU has placed first, first, and third in the Presidential Management Fellows competition; gone head-to-head with literally the best institutions in the United States – it’s always gratifying to see those reactions.” The “elect” will be officially dropped from Kerwin’s new title on September 1, with an inauguration ceremony to be scheduled later during the spring semester. You can e-mail President-Elect Kerwin at president@american.edu -David Ferraris | |||
