Kenny Greer/The Lantern
Ohio State President E. Gordon Gee discusses university issues in The Lantern newsroom Wednesday.Currently a faculty committee is researching and managing the proposal for semesters. Gee said semesters will go into effect in 2012.
"This is the best interest of the university and students," he said. A semester system will benefit the university financially, he said, and will put graduating students searching for jobs on equal footing with students from other universities.
"We need to be a modern university," he said. "But we're not."
Although initiatives to switch to a semester system have failed twice in the past, Gee is confident faculty will be cooperative.
"Sixty-five percent of the faculty have been hired in the last 10 years," he said. "The climate has changed. The new faculty understands the value of semesters."
Gee speaks out about new salary bonus
In response to criticism about his acceptance of a substantial pay raise, Gee said he is fully aware of the consequences.
"I'm concerned about it, too," he said. "I intend on earning that salary every day."
Gee said his bonus is based on his performance as university president.
"If I don't perform, I don't get paid," he said. "I only get what I earned."
The money Gee will receive will be paid back by private donations. The money goes into an endowment that helps pay for senior salaries.
Gee debates drinking age
Gee is one of 134 university presidents and chancellors who have signed the Amethyst Initiative, a proposal to open debate about the drinking age. He said current drinking laws promote binge drinking and contribute to a host of crime and health problems.
"We're creating a culture of alcoholism on campus," he said. "Arbitrary age limitations aren't going to do it. The law is unenforceable with so many students."
He suggests that students and administration work together to create a policy.
"18-year-olds treated like adults will act like adults," Gee said.
Gee on interaction with students
Gee admits that his lifestyle as university president gives him privileges that remove him from the everyday lifestyle of students. In order to better relate to the student body, he tries to attend as many events as he can.
He goes to fraternity and sorority houses, attends school of music concerts and discusses issues with a number university groups.
"I just really think it's really important for the university president to be with students," he said. "I have to figure out how to engage with students so we both feel comfortable. The only way I can experience it is by going out with you."
Mandatory university housing for sophomores
Although he realizes it might not be a popular initiative, Gee wants sophomores to live in university housing.
"I would say that it would be voted down," he said of student response. "You just have to get used to it.
He said he introduced mandatory university housing for sophomores while president of Vanderbilt University, a policy that was met with much criticism.
Now, he says, it is incredibly popular.
He said the policy would create an improved academic environment and would reduce competition for off-campus housing, which would force property owners to treat student renters better.
"People who don't want to treat our students right will have to step up or lose business," he said.
As for the pricing: "I think we'll be competitive," he said.
The president's house
Gee has a history of renovating the president's house at other universities he has served. OSU is no different. After a $2 million renovation, Gee was able to move from the Blackwell to the Ohio State president's house, located in Bexley, in April.
Gee thinks the cost is worth it.
"The house I live in is the most fund-raising institution," he said. "The reason to live in it is to make a weapon for the university."
The economy's effect on the university
While the nation's economy is slumped, the university has to pay for a new library, union, dorm renovations, and a plethora of other expenses. Gee is confident, though, that the university can handle it - over time.
"We will not raise rates," he said. The university is "strong financially but must continue to make decisions. We may not be able to do all things."
Gee sees the current economy as an opportunity to reposition the university. During the economic recession in the early 1990s, the university dealt with a poor economy by becoming more selective and admitting fewer students. Now the university is stronger, he said.
"We're an elephant right now," Gee said of the university. "We'll have to become a ballerina or we'll become a dinosaur."
This ease into gracefulness is one of Gee's major goals as president of Ohio State.
"I believe that one can improve the quality of the institution and save money at the same time."
Everdeen Mason can be reached at mason.388@osu.edu.
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