Over the course of this year, students have become fairly familiar with President Patrick Leahy. He has made a lot of efforts to be visible to students on campus and has even said that the Henry Student Center is his favorite place on campus. He’s even gone to a few Student Government meetings and student functions such as Club Day.
However, The Beacon can’t recall many other members of Leahy’s administration being as visible to students on campus. We haven’t heard of them attending student functions or Student Government meetings. In fact, for some, students aren’t aware of their position and how that position affects them. And that’s because they don’t ever really see the administration interacting with the students around campus.
Although it may not seem like it, every member of the administration is doing his or her job to benefit students. Even though the descriptions and roles differ by position, the overall purpose of a Vice Presidential job is to benefit the students and to enrich their Wilkes experience, whether that be academic, financial or social. Even though the administration at Wilkes has been described as “complex,” the fact that Wilkes is a small university makes it is possible for members of the administration to easily speak and get to know students. It is a lot harder for administrations at larger universities to do the same.
The Beacon praises Leahy for going out and speaking to students and going to student functions such as Student Government meetings. We’re happy that he is eager to get to know what students at Wilkes think about issues on campus. We haven’t seen other members of the administration do the same.
We believe that for members of the administration to do their jobs well, they need to get perspectives on campus issues not just from faculty and staff, but also from students. Students are the ones they are working for after all, and their perspectives will give them insights into how the campus should look and how it is running.
The Beacon believes that the administration will receive better perspectives on campus issues and how it should be portrayed if they physically go out and speak with students. For example, asking students about what attracted them to Wilkes and what they like best about Wilkes can help with promoting the university and increasing enrollment. Speaking with students about how they think Wilkes is running can give members of the administration perspectives into what problems and issues are going on. They can then find a way to fix those problems.
Students complain about issues on campus that could be fixed. If members of the administration got out and took the time to speak with students around campus, they would know about these problems students are complaining about and they could fix them.
Leahy has enacted several initiatives The Beacon thinks will help the administration become more in touch with students. One of them is Leahy’s initiative to move his office and most of his administration back to Weckesser Hall, which has been the traditional home to the president’s office since the university’s founding.
Having their offices in UCOM makes the president and members of the administration seem isolated from the rest of campus because of the location of UCOM on campus.
We’re glad Leahy has chosen to take this initiative to move his office and those of most of his administration to Weckesser because it will allow them to be better in touch with the rest of campus, particularly students, which is the main goal.
Leahy has said that moving his office back to Weckesser will help do just that. The administration’s comings and goings from the building will bring them in contact with students on a more daily basis.
The Beacon is also aware that Leahy is planning to participate in Wilkes Relay for Life with his administration as a team. The Beacon thinks that this is a great idea, as it will really help give members of the administration a chance to interact with students while simultaneously raising awareness for a good cause.
Members of the administration can surely get better insights on campus issues as well as perspectives on how the campus should be represented simply by showing their faces more and discussing different aspects of the school with those who are most affected.