Outgoing UI chancellor opens up on his thoughts, views

Chancellor Richard Herman, who announced his resignation last week, will spend his last day in office Monday. He sat down with The News-Gazette Friday to talk about his decision to resign, his accomplishments and regrets over the past decade as provost and chancellor, the upheaval caused by the "Category I" admissions scandal, and the school's future.

The question of your future has been hanging over campus for weeks. How are you feeling now that this decision is behind you?

It's good to have the ambiguity resolved, for the campus especially.... I think this clears the way for the institution to move forward beyond the admissions issue.

This is a place that Susan and I have come to love. We have become Midwesterners, especially when it comes to this community and the university. There is a sadness in that. But I do think there is a certain finality that comes about with this decision.

It was difficult, partly because of what I've said about the place and knowing what's been accomplished in the past decade and what is yet to be accomplished in these extraordinarily difficult times for higher education.

You said a month ago you had considered resigning but decided to stay and "fight doggedly for the chance to continue my work." What changed?

The question really is, can the institution move beyond the issue with either me or President (B. Joseph) White in place? At the end of the day we both decided that wasn't possible.

Were there other factors as far as the timing?

Sure. There were a number of things I wanted to bring to an appropriate conclusion. Certainly the ($14 million) gift I secured from Jorge Paulo Lemann was an important thing, the celebration of the Institute for Brazilian Studies. And also (this weekend's) celebration of the Morrill Act, which was responsible for land-grant universities .... So there's much to celebrate, and many people coming from all around the country. At the end of the day it was time to step off the stage.

Did you make your decision before President White announced he would resign?

I don't want to speak for him. We both knew that time was limited. And it's just a question of conducting the next phase in a way that's best for the institution. Obviously we both had been thinking about the issue for a period of time

Did you get input from trustees or President Ikenberry on this? Were you pressured?

I had some discussions with President Ikenberry and some discussions with the chair of the board, Chris Kennedy, about what the future might be.

Was it your idea, their idea, or was it mutual?

As I say, there was a time-limited issue for me, and presumably Joe knew the same for him. The question was how to reach the end game and over what time period.

As you negotiated the terms of your resignation and subsequent employment, what was most important to you?

Fundamentally, how to play a continuing role in the university and how my abilities might best be used to further the mission of the institution.

Was the effective date your choice or theirs? How did you settle on Monday?

We agreed that it was going to be more or less toward the end of October. ... I think there's an aspect of, once it's known that you're going to go, and the date's certain, it's hard to be effective in terms of decision-making. That's the rule everywhere.

There was talk that you had hoped to stay on longer, perhaps until next summer, when your contract expired.

That's a contextual decision. You have to begin to understand what it is that can and can't get done over that time period.

Did you find that your effectiveness as chancellor diminished in recent weeks?

The answer is to some extent yes ... Once it's known you're going to go, people will delay coming to you. It's a natural behavior.

What do you most regret about leaving? Do feel you're leaving behind any unfinished business?

There's a certain amount of unfinished business, but there's a lot of progress. One of my favorite programs is Illinois Promise (which helps low-income students graduate debt-free). That needs to be put on a firm financial footing and hopefully extend the aid further. My real worry is that the middle class is going to be priced out of attending universities like ours. Given the quality of education we offer, the kinds of leaders we offer for all segments of the economy, that would be a shame.

The transfer program needs to operate at a much more robust level. I'm very pleased we've doubled the number of students we get here as transfers from community colleges.

The ethnic studies program has grown enormously. We have a Department of African studies and we're on the cusp of having a Department of Latino/Latina studies that needs to get done. ... We've had enormous success in terms of people taking courses in those areas. I feel very good about that. We see a more inclusive atmosphere on this campus.

I hope the Faculty Excellence Program continues to grow. We have resource issues on this campus but we've brought wonderful leaders, like Steve Long, head of the Biosciences Institute. He came as a faculty excellence candidate, and he's one of the reasons we got the $500 million BP grant.

Obviously we have great faculty. Not just to single out those 110 people. I feel very good about the Faculty Excellence Program and our ability – and this is what I think is threatened over the long term – our ability to support faculty and the great work that they do. It's a resource issue.

So the (Brilliant Futures fundraising) campaign needs to continue. I feel very good about it. We're at about $1.2 billion now.

This is one of the universities that's really figured out internationalization, whether that's students from abroad studying here, or more study abroad. Study abroad has gone from 16 percent when I got here to 28 percent now. I'd like to see it go to half of the student population. Those experiences are invaluable. The students come back markedly changed.

Large-scale projects are so important to defining us on an international level. The Singapore project, the work with Cyprus, those need to continue. Our relationships with Brazil are growing, not just through the Lemann gift but a whole spectrum, going back to our agricultural relationships. ... Our relations with China and India are absolutely historical. ... We have continued working with China in education and research.

The energy footprint is an important one for us. In addition to the BP project, bringing the surveys on board was an incredibly important move for us on many fronts but particularly on the energy front, the geological survey and the work on carbon sequestration.

The Petascale (computing) machine, which will come on board soon. That really is the work of many people over many, many years. ... (It's) going to secure our leadership worldwide in high-performance computing.

We've had a near-doubling of our chairs and professorships to support faculty recruiting and retention. Because no matter how little money your institution has, your best people will be sought. And we need to think about ways to do that and think boldly. To me the danger is hunkering down. When I got here the Institute for Genomic Biology was nascent. Harris Lewin and Chip Zukoski were pushing this. I decided this was something that needed to happen. We pushed and pushed, and we got a little help from the state, but it exists today and it's a beacon.

The confluence of the arts and humanities and science and technology is something I've always believed in. One of the things that has happened here is the arts have come fully into the center of this university as an area of creativity. ... If you look at the faculty excellence hires, many of them were in the humanities and the arts.

The issues of the community remain incredibly important to both Susan and me. I remember giving a talk about us as one city at the Rotary Club, and people said, "Are you suggesting that Urbana and Champaign merge?" My response was that I really didn't want to take that on as a political issue, but we have to act together. It covers a variety of things, whether it's things like working with the schools or promoting the arts. I just think this is an area that takes itself seriously in those regards and wants to create a place where people can come and let their creative juices flow.

What are you proudest of during your time as chancellor?

I really have to put Illinois Promise at the top. That cuts to the mission of the land-grant university.

The ability to recruit and support great faculty. The diversity we've obtained. The internationalization of campus. The gifts ... in the community, working with the schools.

You said you've enjoyed every "nanosecond" as chancellor. What about the Chief controversy?

(Laughter) It's an averaging process. Look, you don't sit in these jobs without knowing there will be difficult issues to face and deal with. That's part of the territory. Ultimately it's how you deal with them. And the respect for differing opinions is important. That was, and remains, a difficult chapter in the history of this university. Someday there will be another history written.

What's been the most difficult issue you've had to deal with?

The Chief, maybe. It's a broader issue – the issue of ensuring this will be an inclusive community is one thing I think has been tremendously important to the institution as a whole. Amazingly enough, and I spoke about this with the accreditation committee, we had this (performance by) "NWC" on campus that created some tensions. But the fact that we could debate it, have the play, have the commentary and other forums, I think, spoke to the maturation of the university.

You have to remind yourself the sun always comes up in the morning.

What was the most difficult moment for you during the "summer of clout," as you called it last month?

It was sort of a continuing (thing). Reading the lurid press. ... I decided early on that I wasn't going to engage in everything that was said, I wasn't going to point fingers, and I would reserve my testimony for the commission. ... And having the context understood. Then, finally, the speech I gave before the senate the first time, which was an honest, heartfelt speech. Getting to that point, writing that, was hard.

You said in that speech that you had considered resigning. At what point was that?

I don't remember any particulars. Some days were worse than others. And I felt, the same for Susan, somewhat on an emotional roller-coaster. ... There were nadirs, low points.

Looking back what do you think of it all now? Do you have regrets?

I sort of laid it all out in the speech.

Do you have any parting message for the community about Category I?

I do think that the ... campuses have all created an admissions system that will provide a firewall, so that fundamentally all inquiries are going to be referred to the admissions office in one way or another.

So you don't think this will be a problem in the future?

There is going to be a certain amount of vigilance required. That's sort of built into the next steps. We're going to be providing accountability each year. And any inquiries are going to be logged so they're public record. That'll help us.

Do you have advice for your successor if he or she is presented with the same kinds of pressure? Do you wish you had handled things differently?

The real answer is to simply do what's in the best interest of the institution. ... Maybe the answer is to think about how every single decision affects the university.

In a speech the day before he resigned, President White said ethical dilemmas don't come labeled "ethics issue," they come in a constant stream across your desk and before you know it.

I think that's fair. ... This was a small percentage of my job. You make decisions for the moment, and in the end you find yourself way far from where you should be.

What are you most proud of in the way you've conducted yourself through this investigation?

I was open, candid, and acknowledged my own shortcomings. I have never pointed fingers in anything I've said publicly.

Is there anything you wish you'd done differently early on that could have mitigated things?

I don't know about mitigated. But if look at the way the situation was handled, we didn't understand crisis management. ... I do think there was an unwillingness to take the issue as having the potential of a full-blown crisis.

What will you miss most about the job?

That's hard. The interaction with a broad breadth of wonderful faculty, staff and students. ... Getting to steer the ship and developing new directions. ... This job affords you the opportunity to meet absolutely wonderful people, significantly those among our alumni. ... When you go out and talk to people about the university, the kind of reception you get is mind-bogglingly positive. It's warm. These talks I would give up in Chicago at the University Club, people walk out and say, "That was my experience, too," or "I'm going to put more money into scholarships." The ability to touch people and be touched by them, that I will miss greatly.

What specifically will you do as special assistant to President Ikenberry? Where will your office be?

We're still discussing exactly where my office will be – likely over in the College of Education, where I'll be migrating to after my sabbatical. President Ikenberry has asked me for a few opinion pieces regarding issues before us, and in particular issues like governmental relations, which we're in the throes of figuring out, particularly our role in D.C. which has been nascent.

Will you still be involved with fundraising or have contact with donors?

Certainly with some of them. ... I expect to be doing some of that, but no particular assignment. Of course I continue to hear from many of those people.

Will you be teaching at all between now and next July, when you plan to go on sabbatical?

No.

What are your plans for your sabbatical next year?

Working with Chicago Public Schools and continuing to work nationally (on an initiative to encourage more teachers in science, technology, engineering and math) with the Association of Public Land-Grant Universities. We got over 120 universities to sign on to really do something here. There's a lot left to be done. Foundations seem to be keen on supporting that. It's obviously a major problem facing the nation.

Do you plan to stay in the community?

To carry out the I-STEM work, it'll be some combination of here, Chicago and Washington, D.C.

If you were still going to be chancellor, what would you do about the football coach?

I'd sit down and talk to Ron Guenther.

Have you done that?

No comment. ... I've had the pleasure of working with Ron Guenther for many, many years. He's done wonders for DIA (the Division of Intercollegiate Athletics), the athletic programs and fundraising, overall. This is obviously something we have to deal with as a university. Certainly I would rely on his counsel on that issue.

Who would make that decision now, with the university leadership in transition? Wasn't Mr. Guenther planning to retire?

He was originally thinking of retiring a year ago or so. I asked him to stay on, and he agreed to do it. I believe his contract runs through a year (from) January (in 2011).

As acting co-chancellors, would Stan Ikenberry or Bob Easter make the final decision?

DIA reports to me. According to the rough plan laid out there will be a splitting of duties. ... I don't know how that line goes.

Have there been any discussions along those lines?

I wouldn't tell you that. There would have had to have been. Theoretically speaking. The question is, how do you have a great team?

Do you think it be dealt with, given all the other turmoil?

One of the issues for us is that we have a large number of interim positions. and I think that needs to be resolved. And who resolves it, when they get resolved, those are issues to be sorted out. And that's against the overall resource situation.

We don't expect that the state budget is going to last. I heard a couple of days ago that receipts were running much lower than forecast. So I expect between January and March there's going to be some serious financial moves in the state. We don't get as much of our operating funds from the state as we used to. When I got here it was 30 percent; now its 17. How much can we increase tuition, given the desire to economically represent the state as best we can? Can we succeed without having a smaller footprint? What do we stop doing?

Given all the upheaval at the university, can it attract good candidates for provost, chancellor and president?

That generates a certain amount of concern. Public higher education is a bit in stasis right now. ... How many states are doing well? While our situation at the moment doesn't look as bad as California, it's not good, as a state. So the issue is how to move beyond the present circumstance and avoid additional stasis.

I think great students are going to continue to show up, I think great faculty are going to continue to show up. I do think candidates for either of these positions are going to look for some clarity. That needs to be arrived at fairly quickly – who are we looking for, what are we expecting of that individual?

One of the things I've felt good about over the last 11 years is the progress we've been able to make. ... I would hope whoever comes in is ambitious, not for themselves but for the university. The question is clarity in the budget, what are they going to be able to do, the resource issues.

I think this is a great institution. From that point of view it's a plum. There are various kinds of people who are interested in these jobs. ... There are people who would view the present circumstances as a challenge to retain the course we've been on for 142-plus years. This place defined the public university over the last century, one of a handful of institutions who did that. I think we still have, by virtue of who's here, the capability of doing that. That's a tremendously exciting potential for anyone who would seek to walk in the door.

What will you say to faculty at the annual meeting Monday?

In some respects it's a farewell. There's always things left undone when you leave.

I have often spoken of what a privilege and honor it has been to serve this institution. ... I have had the great good fortune of having as a partner in this endeavor my wife, Susan. I also have had the pleasure of working with wonderful people here on campus and the most supportive staff any administrator could ask for.

Also on this date

• UI stepping up patrols after armed robbery on campus
• Herman: 'It's good to have the ambiguity resolved'
• Slain soldier returning to Rantoul this morning
• Scramble for county board, statehouse seats to begin
• Champaign in no rush to set up police review board
• Champaign council willing to wait for state police report
• Vermilion County men taking charge with vehicles
• Judge denies bid to reduce sentence in fatal DUI crash
• UI's annual faculty meeting will have new roster at top
• Obituaries

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