by Caleb Fort
Daily Lobo
Robert McGrath, the fourth of five candidates for president of UNM to visit campus, met with faculty, staff and students Friday.
McGrath is the senior vice president for research at Ohio State University.
Candidate David Schmidly will visit campus Tuesday.
Here's a look at each of McGrath's meetings.
Students
About 20 students attended the meeting with McGrath.
McGrath discussed tutoring, faculty diversity and international competition.
He said starting more tutoring programs would be a good way to improve graduation rates.
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Paying students to tutor would get more students working on campus, he
said.
"What better way to enhance the learning of all involved than to get more tutoring?" he said. "That's much more satisfying and more productive than having people working at McDonald's."
One student asked McGrath how he would improve the
diversity of faculty and graduate students.
"A grow-your-own type of approach is a very good model," he said. "On top of that, we could be providing top-quality faculty - and especially minority faculty - for the rest of the nation."
McGrath said the United States' educational system has to improve for students to be
successful.
"China and India will be training huge numbers of very qualified people," he said. "The volume that they have is just enormous. To be competitive in the nation and the world, we need to enhance our education."
Although academia is important, university presidents have to be politicians, McGrath said.
"Navigating the political environment is absolutely essential for the success of a president," he said. "That being said, I had a great time in the classroom as a student and as a professor."
Staff
About 80 staff members attended the meeting with McGrath in the SUB.
McGrath discussed how to promote the University's image, helping other universities and colleges in the state and what UNM's mission should be.
University policy should revolve around educating students, he said.
"We're educating the future workforce here in New Mexico," he said. "I begin with the recognition that all of our staff, all of our faculty and all of our administration want to see this University make students as successful as possible."
UNM has a duty to help the students of other universities, he said.
"UNM is the state's flagship institution," he said. "I think it's the responsibility of the University of New Mexico to help all the other institutions of higher education in the state be as successful as they can be."
Cinnamon Blair, manager of marketing, asked McGrath if he thought it was important for UNM to have an image and, if so, how he would promote it.
McGrath said UNM needs to have a strong identity.
"The president is obviously the individual that acts as the spokesman for the University," he said. "I'm not an
individual that likes to bring attention to myself, but I recognize how important it is to have the president out there being
visible."
One staff member asked McGrath how he would solicit donations to UNM.
McGrath said he has been involved in several fundraising campaigns.
"I understand where the opportunity space is that you can excite donors' passions," he said. "An honors program is a good example of that. That type of program is something that donors can get very excited about and serve as a vehicle to help the brightest students on campus."
Faculty
About 60 faculty members met with McGrath to discuss his teaching experience, campus diversity and defense research.
One faculty member asked McGrath if he thought it was appropriate to have defense research at the University.
McGrath, who worked at Sandia National Laboratories between 1984 and 1998, said such research should not be ruled out.
"The national laboratories need talented people," he said. "I am one who believes that there is a great service to our nation that universities and their research power can provide."
Not participating in defense research will not stop it from happening, he said.
"If we're not engaged with that community, then they're out there doing whatever they might be doing," he said. "So, isn't it better if we're involved with it somehow?"
McGrath said he wants some faculty members to be hired jointly by the national laboratories and the University.
Such an arrangement would help professors do high-level research and save the University money, he said.
McGrath said UNM should take advantage of its diversity.
"I think that's one of the premier opportunity areas for the University of New Mexico," he said. "It could really make the University important for the nation. We have to help the rest of the nation see the appeal in embracing multiculturalism."
McGrath, who was a professor of engineering science and mechanics at Penn State University, said his time as a professor helps him relate to faculty.
"I find that my interaction with faculty benefits tremendously because of the experience I have being down in the trenches," he said.
One faculty member asked McGrath why him and his wife want to leave Ohio for New Mexico.
"Without question, we would be looking forward to an improvement in the quality of green chile we would have access to," he said. "Apart from that, the University of New Mexico is poised to become a premier institution. I'd be delighted to come serve this institution in such an important leadership role."
Robert McGrath
Senior vice president for research at Ohio State University since 2004.
Directs an annual budget of $50 million and oversees the university's $590 million research program.
Oversees the Targeted Investments in Excellence program, which will distribute $110 million to 10 academic and research programs at Ohio State over a five-year period.
Served as a professor of engineering science and mechanics and associate vice president for research for five years at Penn State.
Worked at Sandia National Laboratories on laser and plasma diagnostics and plasma and aerosol sciences.
Bachelor's in engineering science and two master's - one in mathematics and one in physics - from Penn State.
Doctorate in nuclear engineering from the University of Michigan.
