Chancellor finalist hears importance of diversity
M. Roy Wilson, MD, president of the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center and finalist for the UCD chancellor position, got the message that diversity is important to the downtown Denver campus community at an open forum Monday, March 13, at St. Cajetan’s. More than half the participants who posed questions to Wilson during the Q&A session, asked about diversity. About 55 faculty, staff, alumni and students attended the 9:15 a.m. session.
Although the campus has the most diverse graduate student population in the state and is making considerable progress in attracting diverse undergrads, there is much more to be done, Wilson said. The university especially must increase staff and faculty diversity as well. “Students need role models who look like them,” he stressed.
Wilson said his experience with diverse cultures at multiple campuses is an asset. He is used to the pressure of juggling responsibilities at campuses that are hundreds of miles apart. The Texas Tech health sciences campuses range the state, from Amarillo to Lubbock to El Paso and the Permian Basin.
With just nine percent state funding, the University of Colorado system is not a public institution in Wilson’s mind. By comparison, Baylor University, a private institution in Waco, receives more state funding than does CU. The key to advancing UCD lies in fundraising, which will be a top priority. “Philanthropy will have to be a major focus of the next chancellor,” he said.
If he is named chancellor, Wilson plans to get to know the people of this campus. “There may be a lot of paperwork at first,” he said. “But it will have to wait.” Getting out, shaking hands and hearing the voices of the community must take precedence in the first 60 to 90 days, he said.
Wilson admitted the process of consolidation process takes time and commitment. “This is a marathon, not a sprint,” he observed. “There is much to be done to complete the consolidation. The first five years will lay the foundation.”
He is not a newcomer to institutions in transition, including consolidation. “Until now, UCD consolidation has been focused on the obvious areas. Academic consolidation has not yet occurred,” he explained. “It could take five to 10 years until consolidation is complete at an academic level.”
Wilson noted he’s a proponent of a liberal arts education. “What this campus offers is part of what is missing when you just have a health sciences campus,” he said. Too many pupils heading into health careers have too little knowledge or experience when it comes to writing. “I seldom use a math or science equation learned in a class,” he observed. “I write every day.”
Wilson spent two days visiting to the downtown Denver and health sciences campuses. The university administration and Board of Regents are expected to make a decision as early as the beginning of April.