JagBytes

Issue date: 11/28/07 Section: College News

Indiana University President Michael McRobbie held open office hours to talk with IUPUI students.

Indiana University President Michael McRobbie held open office hours from 3 to 4 p.m. at the IUPUI campus Sept. 14. Four students came during the hour, each having a good deal of time to talk with McRobbie, because the visit ran an extra 30 minutes.

Since becoming IU President July 1, McRobbie has set up initiatives such as his open office hours and the Vision of an Ideal Campus Experience (VOICE) project.

"The president is interested in being available and hearing ideas and suggestions," Kelly Kish, research specialist and unofficial student liaison at the Office of the President, said. "Hearing insights from students about the day-to-day experiences on the campuses that he and others certainly don't have."

Trevor Fulk, Undergraduate Student Government president, stopped by and talked with McRobbie during the open office hours. Eduardo Nieto, a sophomore, went to McRobbie for career advice. Another student, A.J. Voekel, attended to see "how the University will continue its mission of educating Indiana people."

"I thought it was very good," Voekel said about his time with McRobbie. "I asked him some pretty specific questions that I almost thought were unfair to ask him, but he seemed to have the facts fairly well in hand for someone running such a big outfit."

"I think they should have it more often," Nieto said. "More students should actually come."

One previous open office hour was held earlier in the semester at IUPUI. Turnout was low, with only one or two students attending. It was on a Friday morning, and timing may have been a factor, Kish said.

"I think it's a great opportunity for students to take advantage of their own experience," Kish said. "That if you've been given a vehicle to voice your opinion or to express concern, or an idea, it's really up to students to take advantage of that."
"This time we tried to find a regular day of the week," Kish said. "It's always sort of an experiment to see if anyone is going to show up."

At IU Bloomington, there have been more open office hours. "They've been very well attended," Kish said. "We've had about a dozen students at each turnout."

What's on people's mind at any given moment, or just stopping by to say hello, is what can drive attendance, Kish said. During Wednesday's hour and a half, other questions ranged from campus environment and sustainability to tuition, Kish said.

"This is really an experiment," Kish said about the office hours before they started. "If it's successful, well, we'll probably continue to do it. But if it proves not to really be beneficial to students or to the president, well, maybe it won't be continued."

Afterward, she was pleased with the how the hour and a half went. "I think it went very well," Kish said. "Just the fact that we had more students come was good and the questions we're really interesting."

There are plans for more open office hours. Kish said their goal is to have open office hours once a month.

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