The cocktail hour is well under way when E. Gordon Gee pops into a Brown University alumni gathering here.
His late arrival is intentional.
A nondrinker, he spent the last half hour calling prospective students, leaving himself just enough time, he figures, to shake scores of hands before giving his speech.
Shifting into high gear, he grasps the nearest hand, chats for a minute, then moves to work the room like the pro that he is. Asking questions, listening intently, laughing easily, and posing for pictures, he charms the committed -- and the curious -- who have come to meet Brown’s latest president.
“He’s very warm and affable,” says Brian Fitzsimons, who graduated from Brown in 1995 and enrolled in medical school at Ohio State University, where Mr. Gee was president before coming to Brown in January 1998.
“I thought he’d stay at Ohio State,” Mr. Fitzsimons adds. “He was a diehard Buckeye.”
A skilled reader of audiences, Mr. Gee starts his speech by noting his Ohio ties, praising Brown, and anticipating questions about his career path through four university presidencies.
“If I lapse into ‘Go Bucks,’ will you forgive me?” he asks for an early laugh. “This is a great turnout. I remember this room. I asked a guy for $10-million right over there. Don’t worry. It won’t happen to you tonight. It’s wonderful to be here, wonderful to be in Cleveland.”
“I did not leave Ohio State,” he continues later. “I went to Brown, one of America’s unique institutions.”
“It’s a long way from Colorado to Brown. It’s a long way from Vernal, Utah, to Brown. I’m a very unusual choice. The obvious choice would be the provost from Penn, or the dean of the faculty from Harvard, or the president of Amherst. I kept saying, ‘Are you sure?’ It’s a great opportunity for me. As time passes, I hope it will be a great opportunity for Brown, too.”
He assures the alumni that Brown will “continue the vitality” of its popular undergraduate curriculum while strengthening its graduate programs. Describing the keen competition among elite colleges for the best students and professors, he outlines his plans for managing Brown’s finances more aggressively to produce more money from sources other than tuition.
Mr. Gee calls the evening “friend raising,” although he clearly hopes it will lead to some fund raising. Most alumni praise Brown on university surveys, but only 40 percent give to their alma mater. Mr. Gee very much wants to improve that record. He talks about creating stronger ties and inviting more alumni to volunteer their services.
An aide says the president will send notes in a few days, telling people how good it was to meet them in Cleveland.
It’s a theme he continues after the reception, at dinner with four alumni, all successful businessmen from the area. One by one, they offer advice on projects, such as a recruiting video, and quiz him about Brown’s competitive position. Clearly energized, Mr. Gee presses for details and thanks them profusely.
At 10:30 he finally lets them go home. After all, he has to meet a potential donor the next morning for breakfast before returning to Providence.
Can he finally wind down now? Oh, no. He still needs to dictate notes about the night’s conversations so he can follow up. It will take at least an hour.
http://chronicle.com Section: Money & Management Page: A41
