Alumni Magazine - Fall 2008 - (Page 31) INTERVIEW A Conversation With By Kimberly Link-Wills Photography: Gary Meek Gary Schuster During a wide-ranging one-on-one, Tech’s interim president talks about the thrills of scientific discovery and downhill skiing, careers in chemistry and comedy and the rewards of being a grandparent and at the helm of the Institute. Serving as an interim president could be viewed as a thankless job. Why did you want to take it on? Georgia Tech is an institution that is on the move. That’s not going to stop because we’re between presidents. I think it’s a growth opportunity for me. I’m learning a lot of new things about Georgia Tech, meeting a lot of new people and really enjoying that. I think that there are challenges associated with it. I have to manage two transitions. The first transition is the departure of Wayne Clough and to make sure that all of the activities that are under way keep on going — that we continue to accelerate along our trajectory. Then there’s a second transition that has to be met. A few months from now there’s going to be a new president named. Very likely that person is going to come from outside Georgia Tech. There’s a lot of information that has to be transferred. That person is going to have to get up to speed very quickly, and I think it’s going to be an interesting challenge to manage that second transition. Were there any second thoughts about taking on the job? Did your wife say, “What are you thinking?” The way I described it to my wife was, “I’ve got a job and a half and a half.” My primary responsibility is to step into the role of the president and assume the responsibilities as the interim president, but in the way that the transition is being managed, I maintain some of the responsibilities of the provost’s office as well. We’re very fortunate that [senior vice provosts] Mark Allen and Andy Smith are both experienced in their positions. Between the two of them they have 50 years of tenure at Georgia Tech. They’ve agreed to step in and shoulder most of the responsibilities of the provost’s office, so I’ve been working very closely with them. The president’s cabinet is strong. They are taking on additional responsibilities during this time. So the >>> Georgia Tech Alumni Magazine • Fall 2008 31
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