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Message from Dr. Walter D. Broadnax President's Mantra PRESIDENT BROADNAX SHARES IDEAS ABOUT A NEW MANTRA CLARK ATLANTA AS A STUDENT CENTERED, QUALITY-DRIVEN UNIVERSITY With great pride and humility, I am deeply honored to be the second President of Clark Atlanta University. I am grateful for Dr. Thomas W. Cole's foresight and vision in creating a strong and thriving academic foundation, which has become a model for other colleges and universities that are in their infancy. In accepting the torch of leadership, I am enthusiastically ready to chart the next course and write a new chapter in CAU's history, starting with the mantra, A Student-Centered, Quality-Driven University. While this mantra may not appear to be novel, it is quite apparent in today's society that customer service is quickly becoming a lost art; an exception rather than the rule. While our daily routines have been made simpler due to new technologies (i.e., cell phones, fax machines, microwaves, computers, e-mail, etc.), our personal contact with one another has diminished, leaving us with limited and, in many cases, unfriendly and insensitive interactions with one another. This breakdown in the human condition has prompted me to challenge the CAU family to collectively begin thinking as a Student-Centered, Quality-Driven University. We have to be a University that intimately and unequivocally embraces the notion that our students are our customers, and with that comes the responsibility of providing them with a quality academic environment that is second to none in all areas: teaching, student services, administrative processes and extracurricular activities. Moreover, in order for it to work effectively, everyone must embrace this concept no matter what position you hold. Yes, in being a Student-Centered, Quality-Driven University, much will be required of everyone. We all come from different regions of the world, various backgrounds, and diverse experiences, wanting to make a positive difference. By setting our standards high and working hard, we can achieve great things. Therefore, it is important for all of us to model the behaviors which we implore our students to exhibit. Our Campus Cultural Creed should not be just words on paper, but a corporate doctrine which each of us embraces with conviction and pride. As a Student-Centered, Quality-Driven University, we have to take a conscientious look at how we can improve student retention and graduation rates. Again, it is our responsibility to give our customers - our students - a quality academic experience that is supportive and responsive to their needs. Tough love with sensitivity is more accepting than rudeness and a condescending spirit. Remember, negative experiences adversely impact student retention and graduation rates. They also impact on whether students will unselfishly give back to CAU once they graduate. As we move Clark Atlanta to the next level as a Student-Centered, Quality-Driven University, there will be some changes in the CAU organization. This fall, faculty and staff were interviewed or participated in focus groups with a transition team. There have also been departmental meetings with faculty and staff, as well as conversations with students to determine everyone's thoughts, ideas and concerns. I have listened, taken notes and assessed. And I thank each of you for your candor. All of these meetings and reports will serve as the basic for all reorganization and transition decisions, ultimately in consultation and with final approval from the Board of Trustees. While change is never easy, it should be embraced in spirit of positivism and flexibility, realizing as stated in the Book of Ecclesiastes," …to everything there is a season." We want to see Clark Atlanta University as a place where you can explore the unknown, understand what is known and glean from it all sorts of life's truths. We believe in and must model civility. We believe in school pride, we believe in respect for self as well as for each other. And we do believe in a higher Power as evidenced by our United Methodist affiliation. In order to create a truly Student-Centered, Quality-Driven University, there must be a commitment by students, faculty, administrators, staff, alumni, and Board of Trustees members that creates an atmosphere that makes the following words prophetic: "I'll Find a Way or Make One" and "Culture for Service." It is an investment such that at the end of the day we can all say collectively: it is our blueprint, it is our product and we are proud to be stakeholders of Clark Atlanta University: A Student-Centered, Quality-Driven University.