1. According to various college newspapers, the CUNY Board of Trustees is under fire for their new CUNY Pathways system. Many faculty believe that it is taking away their academic freedom to cater their course to their specific interests. Do you believe that the pathways system infringes on that right and are there any compromises being made between the faculty and the administration on the issue? How will the Pathways system affect current students?

2. With a changing economy and the rising unemployment rate, do you believe that a liberal arts education is still as valuable as it used to be, or do you believe that students should learn professions or technical applications instead?

3. With a job market growing in difficulty, what are plans to better prepare graduates to succeed in the world?

4. Do you believe that faculty should receive tenure based on research alone, or should there be more regulation on the teaching qualities of professors?

5. What are some ways that you attract first year students to your school and how do you separate your school’s mission statement from other universities and colleges?

1-What do you feel distinguishes your college/university from others? How does your institutions’ goals, exemplified in your mission statement, stand apart from those of other universities?

2-Do you think that students entering institutions of higher education are adequately prepared for the workload? If not, do you think this is an issue that universities should be addressing or should it be left in the hands of K-12 educators? If it is in fact the responsibility of higher education institutions, what strategy would you suggest is best to address the issue?

3-Does the setting of your institution have a significant impact on the image of the school? How does your institution reflect the interests and needs of the community it serves? In what ways does your institution support students in their goals towards a future career path, i.e. what resources are available to your students (internship, fieldwork/research opportunities, mentors, seminars)?

4– In some institutions of higher education, students may feel that they are forced to take many general core curriculum classes that can be time-consuming, costly, and may not necessarily pertain to their interests or field they would like to major in. Do you think the core curriculum is a staple in a university’s education? Do you think the core curriculum should be streamlined, providing a quicker path for students to explore courses related to their interests/major?

5- How do you suggest the costs of colleges and universities be effectively reduced without hindering academic qualities and research-based innovation? In the public sector, should taxpayers’ money be used to hold down tuition costs or focus more on expanding need-based aid in institutions of higher education? Can it be both?

1)   How does a president go about running the daily activities of a university? What is done to make sure that the goals are being met and everything is being run accordingly? Do you feel that your institution follows the guidelines of your mission statement?

2)   What kind of students do you look for in order for admittance into your institution? What are the criteria? It seems that simply getting high grades and high-standardized test scores isn’t enough in order to be admitted into some colleges. What would you say are the things that make students stand out in addition to extracurricular activities? Is this where cultural diversity and socio economic status becomes major factors in distinguishing the student body?

3)   Some institutions admit first year students on the basis that they enter in the spring term, not the fall term with most of their other peers. Does your university admit students on this basis as well? Why do universities follow this practice? Are financial reasons a factor? Do you think it hurts the students in terms of academics and social life?

4)   Do you agree with practice of tenure? Do you think some professor’s take advantage of it and do not work to their fullest potential or do you feel that it gives them more time to do research outside of the academic classroom?

5)   Is the United States in doing a fair job with its system of higher education? Are there other nations or continents that seem to be doing a better job in terms of getting their students ready for the job-market? What are some of the parallels and differences between the European higher education system and the American higher education system? Are there any ideas that America should borrow from Europe?

1) What do you think is more important in a college, economic diversity or racial and ethnic diversity? If both are important, why do many colleges currently favor racial diversity over economic diversity?

2 ) Regarding the above question, if colleges are  to be viewed as businesses, then do you think it would make sense for them to target primarily wealthy students?3) Do you think college admissions should be more objective, relying more on test scores and grade point averages? Although it’s surely important to check student’s “personalities” through essays and extra-curricular activities, don’t you think that the current system is too subjective and conveniently allows colleges to accept students who do not academically qualify relative to their peers (legacy admissions) under the guise of those students having “superior” extra-curricular.

4) Do you think colleges are morally responsible for encouraging students to view their salary expectation upon graduation by major before allowing student to even submit an application fee?

5) If the Federal Government stopped handing out student loans or at least made it more difficult to obtain such loans, do you think college costs will necessarily decrease  because of the decreased demand or will this just encourage colleges to target wealthier students? Also, do you think such a policy would be beneficial to many Americans, because there would be a lower number of degree holders, making corporations more willing to hire lower-skilled workers without a college diploma, causing college prices to drop further for those that can still afford college or can afford to take out private loans?

6) Many colleges claim that they are “need blind”. Do you think that there should be some external agency verifying the veracity of those college’s claims? Assuming tuition of $50000 per year, the college has $200000 to lose over a student’s total time at  college (4 years) so colleges would have a major incentive to not comply with their “need blind” claims.

1. Do you think that your institution’s current goals match with its mission statement? What are some of your plans in the near future to achieve these goals?

2. How important is it to you to make college affordable for undergraduates? Is there a way to balance the rise in tuition while still having enough resources to run the college?

3. How important is it to your institution to stay in touch with your local community and government?

4. How important is it to your institution to hire faculty that have a teaching background and not just a research background?

5. How are professors granted tenure at your institution?

1) What are your goals for your institution? How do you want to see it grow and why is this an important direction to take?

2) How has higher education changed since you took office? What do you think are the big issues that are/aren’t being addressed?

3) How do you involve and engage your students, in the classrooms, in the running of the college, and in the community at large?

4) What role does your institution play as part of the community? Do you see yourself as part of the area in which you are situated? Part of a more global community? Or are you an entity unto itself?

5) (I don’t know if you can actually ask this, but I’m curious) If I came to you as someone who was considering applying for a position as president of a college, what would you tell me? What advice would you give? What would be the most important thing you would want to impart?