University of Akron President Scott Scarborough usually employs a lengthy slide presentation when making a big speech.
But he left that behind Wednesday for his talk before the Akron Press Club.
Scarborough, who has come under fire for his decision-making, including rebranding the school as “Ohio’s polytechnic university,” turned to the audience to tailor his speech on the spot.
The UA president asked audience members to raise their hands to recommend topics to talk about and then also answered written, submitted questions, many of them critical of his leadership.
The topics and questions ranged from everything from communication missteps to how the school will fund promised scholarships through the LeBron James Family Foundation to why he didn’t get a raise or bonus this year.
Scarborough, who took over as president in July 2014, didn’t always answer questions directly and often found himself defending his decisions before the luncheon crowd of about 150 gathered at Quaker Station.
In brief remarks before launching into the topics and Q&A, Scarborough reiterated how the school had significant financial challenges when he took over and that’s what led to $40 million worth of unpopular cuts announced in the summer.
He also noted that the school cannot continue to let enrollment slide — it’s fallen from a high of about 30,000 to 25,177 this fall — and his initiatives are intended to grow the campus and turn UA into a national university.
“The region needs this university to grow and to be a driver of economic growth,” he said in response to one question. “This city and region doesn’t need this university to get smaller. It needs it to grow in size and status.”
Moderator M.L. Schultze of WKSU (89.7-FM) noted that the event drew more questions than usual.
Here’s a look at some of the topics discussed during the presentation, which lasted more than an hour:
Community relations
Scarborough’s relationship with many community and business leaders — thanks in part to the uncertainty created when he laid off the entire staff at E.J. Thomas Hall — hasn’t been stellar.
As he has done in the past, he said some of that is due to misunderstandings and miscommunication.
“We know that we need many more conversations to occur and we’re working diligently to get everyone on board,” he said. “We’re working hard to clarify those misunderstandings.”
Rebranding
“The community has responded unfavorably certainly to the rebranding initiative and the budget cuts,” Scarborough said.
He again defended the tagline “Ohio’s Polytechnic University” and said it is necessary to distinguish the school from its competitors.
He also noted that the tagline is helpful for many people who don’t know where Akron is located and they now can see that it’s in Ohio. The school is trying to attract more students from outside the region.
Without stating any specifics, Scarborough added that the marketing tagline will evolve.
LeBron scholarships
The university has promised scholarships for up to 2,300 Akron kids participating in the LeBron James Family Foundation’s I PROMISE program.
Asked how will UA pay for the scholarships, Scarborough said the school has built the expense into its long-range financial plans, but it’s also looking for funding sources.
He also cited a possible bequest to support the program, but wasn’t specific in the amount or who is giving it.
Tenured faculty
Scarborough has taken heat from the faculty for not hiring more tenured professors.
The president said the school can’t afford it.
Salaries
Scarborough has paid high salaries to his new administrators — much higher in many cases than their predecessors were making.
He defended the pay, saying the salaries were determined by “supply and demand.”
Mistakes
Scarborough is fond of saying that mistakes are inevitable.
“You can’t have progress without making mistakes,” he told the audience.
That attitude didn’t sit well with Jane Bond, a former UA board trustee and retired Common Pleas judge.
It’s not enough to say that mistakes were made, she said afterward, noting that she would like to hear the word “sorry.”
“Sometimes, a strong leader has to say that,” Bond said.
No raise, bonus
Scarborough received no raise or bonus after his first year.
An audience member wanted to know why. The president responded that that is a question for the board of trustees.
Afterward, board Chairman Jonathan Pavloff said it would have been inappropriate to give the president a raise or bonus while also approving $40 million in cuts and eliminating more than 200 positions.
But he added that the lack of a raise or bonus shouldn’t be interpreted as the board being unhappy with Scarborough’s leadership.
Admissions standards
Scarborough disputed claims that the school has lowered its academic standards in the law school, Honors College and for international students to increase enrollment.
He noted that the Honors College now allows students with an ACT score of 25 — previously it was 27 — but those students must have a grade-point average of 3.75.
Students with an ACT score of 27 can have a GPA of 3.5.
Graduate programs
The school is considering doing away with some paid graduate student programs, Scarborough said.
Schools traditionally waive tuition and pay a stipend to graduate students to support academic programs.
But UA needs more revenue, Scarborough said.
The doctoral programs would be left alone, he added.
Rick Armon can be reached at 330-996-3569 or rarmon@thebeaconjournal.com. Follow him on Twitter at @armonrickABJ.