Incoming President Peterson speaks about issues, concerns and strengths

Nearly three weeks ago, the Board of Regents confirmed University of Colorado at Boulder Chancellor G.P. “Bud” Peterson as Tech’s next president effective April 1. The Whistle had an opportunity to speak with the incoming president, ask about his experience, energy and his expectations. Part 1 of this interview follows, with the second part publishing next week.

From your experience with Texas A&M, RPI and CU, what do you think will explicitly help with your leadership at Tech in the coming years?

	The University System of Georgia Board of Regents selected G.P. “Bud” Peterson as Georgia Tech’s 11th president. Peterson and his wife, Val, shown here in front of the Carnegie Building, visited the campus on Feb. 25.

I have experience from a wide variety of institutions. Texas A&M is a very large public institution—when I first arrived, it was approximately 29,000 students, and when I left 19 years later, it was close to 42,000. As a public university, it was governed by a board of regents, appointed by the governor. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) was much smaller—about 7,500 students—it was a private university with a self-perpetuating Board of Trustees. The University of Colorado at Boulder is a national, comprehensive research university with an “elected” board of regents. All three have a strong focus on research.

While at these three very different institutions, I have been able to experience the best of each, and also to observe a number of leaders and perhaps more importantly, leadership styles. This variety of experiences allows me to bring the strengths of each to Georgia Tech. I hope that I will be able to pull the best from each and apply it accordingly.

It’s a particularly volatile time financially for any school, public or private. What is it about Georgia Tech that made you seek the presidency during this challenging time?

It is a difficult time financially for universities all over the country. Like many states, higher education in Georgia has many challenges. I think the interesting thing about Georgia Tech and what makes it very attractive to Val and me, is that it is really at the forefront of innovation and discovery at a time in our nation’s history when both of these are very important.

Tech is uniquely positioned to address some of the most pressing problems that the world faces today—the rise in demand for energy worldwide, and the effect that this has on the environment; tremendous advances in biotechnology and the biosciences, and how that will impact our lives; and the new and emerging fields that Georgia Tech is heavily involved in, things like nanotechnology and information technology, that will change the way we think about what we do and how we do it.

Think back 20 years: There was no e-mail, there was no Internet and Google had not yet been invented. If you had a cell phone, it was the size of a toaster. Today, most people in the U.S. recognize Google, have access to the Internet and have a personal cell phone. It is all very ubiquitous and very ingrained in our everyday existence, and all of these things have dramatically changed our lives. Now think ahead, about what’s going to happen in the next 20 years, one can hardly imagine, but the graduates from Georgia Tech will help to shape that future, whatever it is.

What one thing would you like to say to faculty and staff members in this time of transition?

Transitions are always difficult, for everybody involved. Val and I are excited to have this opportunity, and I’ll do everything I can to come up to speed as fast as I can, but there’s an awful lot to learn. I guess I would ask for the folks at Georgia Tech to be patient and to help me learn as much as possible, as fast as I can. That will be most helpful.

One of the reasons we are coming in April is so that we can be there during the ‘regular semester,’ and to try to understand what the Institute is really like, what the culture is, as quickly as possible. While it would be much easier from a workload perspective to wait and start sometime in the summer, at most universities the summer is very different and it is not really possible to fully “understand” the heart and soul of the university. As it is, we will be coming in at one of the busiest times of the year and this will be a big challenge, to try and begin when there’s so much activity. My hope is that by starting in April we can better understand the Institute and its culture and operation much more quickly and thereby accelerate the transition process.

What are your expectations for students, faculty and staff?

They are the same for all three. Focus on excellence, be open to new ideas, learn from our mistakes and—most importantly—get engaged. Students shouldn’t just stay in their dorm rooms and study; faculty shouldn’t just stay in their labs and teach their classes. Try different things, new things. Reach out. Work with new people and new disciplines. Discover new ideas.

A university environment is so exciting because of the variety of people. There are a whole bunch of very bright people with very different backgrounds who have expertise in a multitude of different areas. Try and take advantage of what the campus has to offer. It’s important for the students, particularly the freshmen, to ask themselves what they want to accomplish while they are at Georgia Tech, besides just a degree. Between the arts, student government, athletics, service activities and all the other opportunities here, there is so much to do. Get involved!

What lessons on strategic planning did the Flagship 2030 initiative (the University of Colorado’s strategic plan) provide?

I was involved in the strategic planning process at Texas A&M in the late ‘90s. I was involved in the tail end of the strategic planning process at RPI. When I went to Colorado, I asked people to tell me about their strategic plan, “Quality for Colorado.” People couldn’t describe or explain the principles of that plan, and that caused me some concern. I think if you have a strategic plan, people should know what it is and understand the fundamental tenants of it.

Today, if you ask people here at Colorado “what is Flagship 2030?”, I think they can tell you the principal goals, and that’s important. People support things that they think are well-managed and that they feel passionately about. A good strategic plan helps do both of those things: It helps provide direction and vision, and it engenders passion.

Tech has grown on a steady trajectory since the 1996 Olympic Games. Do you think the Institute should continue in that trajectory, or is it time to alter/otherwise address the growth plan?

When you talk with people, it is clear that Georgia Tech has really blossomed, it has grown tremendously. While at Texas A&M in the College of Engineering in the ‘90s, I saw a memo from a fellow dean of engineering at another university, wrote to his faculty that said, “If you want to see an institution that’s doing it right, look at Georgia Tech and its steady growth.” I think that it was shortly after the 1993 NRC [National Research Council] rankings. Georgia Tech was on a continual path of progress.

When I was at Texas A&M, we went from just under 30,000 to over 40,000 students in 10 years. I think one of the things we need to do here at Georgia Tech is try to assess what that growth should be, particularly in light of the economic situation, and then make a deliberate decision about the growth of the Institute. It needs to be a conscious decision and not just left to chance If we choose to grow, we need to decide how fast and why; to have a reason for growing because getting bigger is not necessarily getting better.

One of the really unique features of Georgia Tech is the large percentage of students living on campus. When that happens, it allows you to build a certain climate and culture. We need to leverage that to the greatest extent possible.

What role do you think the president should play to increase diversity through all levels of faculty, staff and students?

When I think about diversity, I think about four different types: Ethnic and gender are the pretty obvious ones, but there is also intellectual and geographic, and those are important, too. I think that the best rationale [for diversity] I have ever heard was a statement by Bill Wolf, who was president of the National Academy of Engineering. I can’t remember the exact words, but he said “Aside from the fact that it’s the right thing to do, morally and ethically, to create a diverse environment, it also makes good sense. If you don’t have a diverse workforce, then you have ideas that are never thought of, designs that are never developed and dreams that are never imagined.”

I’m 6’ 3”, my wife, Val is 5’ 3” (on a good day), and if everyone that designed a car looked like me, then Val wouldn’t be able to reach the pedals and there would be no power steering or power brakes! The president, and in fact the entire leadership team, must take a leadership role.

Overall, diversity makes us better. When I think about diversity, I think about inclusiveness. To be truly excellent, any organization has to be fully inclusive.

What are your priorities for Tech concerning students being up to speed for the NAE studies of the Engineer of the Future?

Certainly, Georgia Tech is on a very positive track right now, it’s doing a lot of things right. It doesn’t mean we can’t benefit from stepping back and critically evaluating what we’re doing. But I think it would be presumptuous for me to come in and say “these are the priorities.”

My expectation is that we will develop a shared vision for what those priorities should be. I’ve received a large number of e-mails from a lot of folks about many things that are happening here. If there’s one thing that surprises me in this process, it is that I thought Georgia Tech was a very good place. Actually, it’s a much, much better place than I thought it was!

How has the reception been?

The reception that Val and I have received has been tremendous. I can’t say how impressed both of us were at the warmth with which we’ve been welcomed and received. “They” announced the campus reception at 9 or 10 o’clock on that Wednesday morning because the Regents hadn’t voted until then, and there was such a tremendous outpouring of people coming to say hello and introduce themselves.

The interview process was not very public, I wasn’t on campus interviewing until after the announcement was made. Because of that, a lot of people that are associated with Georgia Tech—students, faculty, staff and alumni—started contacting people at the places I had worked before. You can’t believe the number of people from A&M, RPI and CU that have said “so and so” called and wanted to know about you. It’s been a very positive experience.

Val and I are very excited, and anxious to get there and get started. And I’ve been contacted by students, faculty and staff, and by alumni (even here in Boulder) wishing us the best. It has been very rewarding!

Is it hard to leave Colorado?

Yes. CU is and will continue to be a very fine university, and I think we were able to make a positive impact. We’ve established a lot of friendships here, and the skyline’s a little different. As I said before, change is always hard, but this is a tremendous opportunity—I’m not leaving Boulder. I’m coming to Georgia Tech!