Last Thursday afternoon in the Skyline dining room, another candidate in the ongoing search for provost addressed faculty, staff, and students.
Gersham Nelson, the final candidate, is the dean of the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences at the University of Central Missouri. Nelson previously worked at Frostburg State in Maryland. He went there, he said, after earning his Ph.D.
“My work with students at Frostburg State University was so rewarding that I knew that’s what I would do for the rest of my life,” Nelson said. “(Higher education) is, in my mind, the most compelling way to contribute to society.”
What drew Nelson to Emporia State, he said, was its history. Every institution he’s worked at previously has started out as a normal school.
“What drew me to ESU is its history and background,” Nelson said. “The capacity it has not only to prepare teachers but to strengthen liberal education, the liberal arts, and then to super-impose on that professional studies. This is a perfect model for what has a great impact on society.”
He said the relationship between students and faculty at ESU is very strong, but it can never be too strong. He said it is important to have students engaged in the life of the university because it is a great place to learn leadership skills and about democratic organization.
More than that, he wants to improve the interactions between students and faculty.
“Faculty members ought to tap into the new ways in which students communicate,” Nelson said. “So much has changed just in terms of the technology that without that understanding of how students engage among each other, I think we may be missing an opportunity to engage students.”
The main point of discussion between Nelson and the present faculty was the idea of looking for opportunities for connection between the university and its alumni in terms of the necessity for funding.
“This candidate has strength. He’s got some vision. He’s willing to listen,” said Rob Catlett, director of the center for economic education. “I liked the idea of looking for opportunities.”
He said the relationship between the university and its alumni is one such opportunity, as he’s heard many accounts from students about university professors who have changed their lives. The dedication these students have to the university, he said, is that untapped opportunity.
“What it told me is that institutions such as ours do not receive because we have not asked,” Nelson said.
Most of the audience present consisted of ESU faculty, and they found Nelson to be a strong speaker.
“I think he’s very engaging with individuals,” said Sarah Tidwell, nursing professor. “And I think the comments he had to make were very future thinking.”
