Keefe: UD has unique core message but needs help sharing it
Heather Nelson
Issue date: 11/17/09 Section: News
When asked what he thought would improve UD, Keefe replied, "You pay your faculty better. Your faculty, I believe, are 17 percent below the median, and you have the third lowest average for faculty salary in the state of Texas. You need to have better facilities for education purposes. I don't think that you should change your Core, but wouldn't it be nice if you had better technology in the classroom?
"People want to be part of greatness, and it's how you present yourself … and what opportunities you have for people to invest in you. So we need to provide them with an opportunity to invest in a going concern. You charge tuition to survive, you raise money to thrive. You're not going to base budgets on your philanthropic dollars, you're going to base budget on your tuition dollars … and you're going to have enhancements as a result of people investing in you through philanthropy, but you need to have a more aggressive outreach. And I think you could probably have maybe 50 more students a year per class that would help significantly with revenue and wouldn't change the nature of the institution at all," Keefe said.
Keefe described his first step, if he were to be selected for president. "One of the issues that I read in the student newspaper was that none of the candidates have met with the student body. If I get selected as president, and I come, the first thing that I'll try to do is meet with the whole student body.
"This is a collective enterprise, folks. Alumni, students, faculty, staff, board, administration, all have to work on and identify problems. If not, I'm not going to do it for you. I'm not your dad, and I'm not going to take care of you. I will work you. I'm a really good facilitator, and I'm a terrific hired hand, but that's what I am. You all are going to have to be responsible for improving this institution," Keefe said.
However, Keefe described himself as not just a fundraiser, "I will bring a lot of energy to the whole administrative enterprise here. Everybody, deans, all vice presidents, we will all be moving at a quicker pace," he said.
"People want to be part of greatness, and it's how you present yourself … and what opportunities you have for people to invest in you. So we need to provide them with an opportunity to invest in a going concern. You charge tuition to survive, you raise money to thrive. You're not going to base budgets on your philanthropic dollars, you're going to base budget on your tuition dollars … and you're going to have enhancements as a result of people investing in you through philanthropy, but you need to have a more aggressive outreach. And I think you could probably have maybe 50 more students a year per class that would help significantly with revenue and wouldn't change the nature of the institution at all," Keefe said.
Keefe described his first step, if he were to be selected for president. "One of the issues that I read in the student newspaper was that none of the candidates have met with the student body. If I get selected as president, and I come, the first thing that I'll try to do is meet with the whole student body.
"This is a collective enterprise, folks. Alumni, students, faculty, staff, board, administration, all have to work on and identify problems. If not, I'm not going to do it for you. I'm not your dad, and I'm not going to take care of you. I will work you. I'm a really good facilitator, and I'm a terrific hired hand, but that's what I am. You all are going to have to be responsible for improving this institution," Keefe said.
However, Keefe described himself as not just a fundraiser, "I will bring a lot of energy to the whole administrative enterprise here. Everybody, deans, all vice presidents, we will all be moving at a quicker pace," he said.
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