PSU president opens academic year with optimism

  Thursday, August 18, 2016 2:00 AM
  News

Pittsburg, KS

President Steve Scott opened the university’s 114th academic year, Thursday, with a message that included both a candid assessment of the financial challenges the university faced and a hopeful and optimistic vision for the future.

Scott spoke to hundreds of faculty and staff at the traditional opening meeting, which was held in the Linda & Lee Scott Performance Hall of the Bicknell Family Center for the Arts.

The president shared figures that showed how the university’s block grant from the state has declined since FY 2006 and outlined the state cuts for the past year.

“And as you know, the governor has asked all state agencies to prepare for the possibility of another 5 percent cut,” Scott said. “If that becomes a reality, we will have a very robust and open discussion. We may have some difficult decisions to make. We have to work together to figure these things out.”

Despite the challenges, Scott said is optimistic.

“I think there is hope,” Scott said, “and we all have a role to play in shaping our own destiny.”

The president noted that the state legislature that takes office next January will look very different.

“This will be a very different group and they will have different priorities,” Scott said. “I have hope that we will get back to what Kansas has always been about.”

In the midst of the turmoil of a political season and difficult financial times, Scott urged the faculty and staff to “stay focused on who we are and what we are supposed to be about.”

The president reminded the faculty and staff of the seven core values included in the university’s strategic plan: Student-Focused, Excellence, By Doing Learn, Diversity, Community, Innovation and Sustainability.

He urged those gathered to think about the value they each bring to the university and its students.

Noting that some people question the value of higher education, Scott said, “We all need to be better spokespersons (for higher education).”

Scott quoted George Conrades, a retired IBM executive, who notes that to be successful, every organization needs smarts, determination and commitment. The president said Professor Mike Neden, who died of cancer earlier this year, was a great example of all three of those characteristics.

The president quoted Byron McKay, a former student, who said at Neden’s funeral, “Mr. Neden helped me to see my potential...and worked to help me reach it.”

“That’s what we do at Pittsburg State University,” Scott said. “We don’t just teach students. We help them see things in themselves they have never seen before and we work to help them achieve things they never dreamed were possible.”

The president concluded by urging faculty and staff to be “assertive in our purpose and confident in our future,” a quote he said was not original with him, but which spoke directly to PSU in 2016.

“This place has a great future,” Scott said.