If Scott L. Scarborough gets his way, the University of Akron will have the cleanest administration in higher education.
Literally.
Mr. Scarborough, the Ohio university’s newly minted president, has asked all of his senior administrators to commit to a set of “Leadership and Management Principles” that he says will ensure success. The president’s big no-nos, which are outlined in 28 bullet points, include:
- Failing to pick up trash.
- Failing to maintain an orderly and clean work environment.
- Being late to meetings.
- Losing one’s cool.
- The inability to answer a question directly and succinctly.
Setting the right tone is a challenge for any new college president, and Mr. Scarborough said in an interview on Thursday that the two-page summary of his principles helps to clarify his expectations. He expects about 40 administrators, including vice presidents and deans, to commit to those rules in writing.
“I’ve done it for over 20 years,” Mr. Scarborough said. “It’s always the first piece of paper I hand out. It sets the tone. Remember, people are nervous; they are wondering what the new person is all about. Why not just tell the group what I’m all about?”
Mr. Scarborough’s first day on the job was July 1, and he distributed the document within his first week. The agreement, which Akron’s senior leaders have been told to sign and date, makes clear that the president’s rules are to be followed … or else.
“If I cannot agree to conduct myself in a manner consistent with these principles, I agree to work with my supervisor to develop a transition plan to another position inside or outside the university,” the document states. “I understand that if I violate these principles, disciplinary action will follow, up to and including termination.”
The contents of the agreement were first made public by the Akron Beacon Journal.
Overly Exhaustive?
In addition to listing pitfalls to avoid, Mr. Scarborough’s principles lay out ideals to which his team should aspire. Administrators should communicate openly, “sustain a culture of trust,” and critique each other privately while praising each other publicly.
The president said he understood that some people might chafe at being reminded to be punctual and to be tidy, but he has not felt much pushback.
“Over 20 years, I only had one person who I would say had a negative reaction to it and literally left the organization,” said Mr. Scarborough, who holds a Ph.D. in strategic management.
William D. Rich, president of the university’s Faculty Senate, said that much of what Mr. Scarborough asks of his team makes sense. That said, the document may be overly exhaustive, Mr. Rich said.
“The concern one might have about it is that it states expectations that, at least in some respects, are kind of universal and didn’t need to be stated,” said Mr. Rich, a law professor.
Ted Curtis, vice president for capital planning and facilities management, said he planned to sign the document and had no objection to it.
“He wants people to produce, which I like,” said Mr. Curtis, who has worked at Akron for nearly 16 years. “And he’s even made the comment that you have to produce or you may not be around, which is something I think higher education needs.”
The Board’s Endorsement
Mr. Scarborough said that he first showed the document to the university’s Board of Trustees, and the members gave him the “thumbs up” to distribute it.
Administrators at Akron serve at the pleasure of the president, but Mr. Scarborough said that his leadership principles have the force of a contract and would insulate the university from litigation if he dismissed someone who ran afoul of his rules.
The president came to Akron from the University of Toledo, where he took an unconventional path from chief financial officer to executive director of the university’s medical center to provost. At the time of his appointment as provost, in 2012, some Toledo professors expressed concern that Mr. Scarborough’s background was not particularly suited to running the academic side of the university.
Mr. Scarborough reported to Lloyd A. Jacobs, who as Toledo’s president was often at loggerheads with professors. A faculty evaluation of Dr. Jacobs, a vascular surgeon, painted Mr. Scarborough’s old boss as paternalistic and described his leadership style as “His way or the highway!!!!!”
“His management philosophy was very different than mine,” Mr. Scarborough said.
But if Mr. Scarborough runs into faculty criticism, do not expect him to take it personally. He has a rule against that, too.
