As you likely know, Dr. Michael Martin could not attend the
forums in person because he had emergency eye surgery for a detached retina. I
was asked whether the Skype forum put him at a disadvantage, and my answer was
even though we did miss a bit of what he said because of the unfortunate technical
difficulties associated with this medium, his extraordinary wealth of higher
education experience and his charismatic personality were still very evident.
And I would have liked to have had a beer with him at the reception to talk
about his experiences as a teamster, but I digress.
As I said, and will likely say again, Martin’s experience in
higher education is exceptional, as he has served in just about every capacity—as
a professor, Faculty Senate president, dean, vice president, president, and
chancellor—in the university system. Like Wheatly, he also has experience
working in higher ed in Florida, as he was Vice President for Agriculture and
Natural Resources at UF from 1998-2004. This wealth of experience would be extremely
beneficial for enhancing the reputation of the university, particularly because
he has leadership experience in AAU universities and knows what it takes to be
the high caliber university we know we can be with the right leader.
Some of the highlights of the interview included his
extensive discussion of education as a public good; his view that the
preservation of arts and humanities programs is essential, for such programs
engage the public in ways a great university should; his confidence that we
have the ingredients in place to get to the top, and with his 44 years of
experience, he can help get us there; his assurance that we need several
different revenue streams (in fact, he stated that if you bet your future on
the legislature, you’ll lose, especially because legislatures change); his “great
faith in shared governance” and “shared fairness;” his assertion that we need a
president with a network of colleagues nationally, which he obviously has; and
his vision of transitioning FSU into the elite group of universities. And as a faculty union president who grew up
in Pittsburgh, I appreciated his story about his 89-year-old father who still
sees himself as a union man and the fact that Martin himself was once a
teamster—when Jimmy Hoffa was still alive—though he assured us that he had
nothing to do with Hoffa’s disappearance (that elicited a lot of laughter). I heard someone say he talked in
administrative speak, and I suppose that was in part a function of the brief Skype
interviews, but yes, he did say all the right things. I thought he was sincere,
though, so I didn't find it as problematic as perhaps it could be.
I do wish that there had been more time to talk with Martin,
for I would have liked to have asked him to discuss his ideas in even more
detail, especially his vision for the future. But in all, I thought he was extremely
likeable, funny, and down-to-earth, which will appeal to all constituencies. I
think he has the confidence and extensive experience necessary to engage, inspire, and
motivate faculty and students to succeed. He'd be an excellent president, one committed to students, faculty, and the public good.
