Questions for VP Brown
1. What do you think the big issues will be in higher education in twenty years?
2. What is the hardest part of your job?
3. How do we make higher education more accessible to students? In order to remove the barriers to successful participation in higher education, what are the ways in which universities can provide financial and academic support to aid students in their completion of degrees? What role do you think NYU should play in terms of being accessible to students? How has the Arthur O. Eve Higher Education Opportunity Program (HEOP NYU) at NYU helped to make high education more accessible, primarily for traditionally underserved, low-income students?
4. Do you think high school graduates are entering institutions of higher education adequately prepared? If not, what do you think can be done to help students become more prepared for admittance into institutions of higher education and completion of a degree? Is this an issue that should be dealt with in higher education, or in K-12 education?
5. What are your thoughts regarding scholarships to students: Do you feel more scholarships be given to students based on need or based on merit? In your opinion, which students are more successful in the long run?
6. What are the main criteria for admissions into your university (i.e. what type of students are you looking for) and how do you go about choosing who gets admitted?
7. If students cannot afford to go to a highly rated institution of higher education, what do you suggest they do? Do you think students should take out loans in order to attend a reputable, highly rated university? Or should students opt to go to a more affordable school?
8. How does your university attempt to foster a diverse student body?
9. 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?
10. Wouldn’t the decline in net revenue and the hunt for possible donors distract colleges from their goal which is to provide a good education to their students?
11. Do you think MOOC’s online classes will revolutionize higher education in the near future? Do you think that not experiencing an education in an actual classroom, leaves a student without the proper resources to acquire knowledge, or do you believe MOOCs are both convenient and effective?
12. The traditional role of the university has been to foster learning and offer students a well-rounded education. However, it seems that many student’s and universities goals in terms of coming out of undergrad are to have graduates enter the work force and acquire well paying jobs. Do you agree with this mindset or should we back to the goals of the traditional university? Is NYU’s aim to educate, get students ready for the workforce or a mix of both?
13. How is New York University’s mission statement specifically geared towards the students and faculty of NYU? What distinguishes your mission from that of other universities? How do you make sure you follow these goals?
14. Several of the projects of NYU in recent years have included modernizing the cogeneration plant and the construction of a new spiritual center. How would you say these projects fit into the goals of NYU? As the senior vice president for university relations and public affairs, how do you make sure that the student’s and faculty’s needs are being met? How do you make sure that the university needs specific changes whereas other projects might not be as important for the mission of the university?
15. How important is it to your institution to stay in touch with your local community and government?
16. How important is it to your institution to hire faculty that have a teaching background and not just a research background?
17. How are professors granted tenure at your institution?
18. 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?
19. Do you feel that state and federal funding will continue to decline? If yes, how will these cutbacks affect your institution? Do you foresee any changes you need to make? Do you expect the quality of education to decrease?
20. What area of higher education can use the biggest cutbacks? Where is most of the money being wasted, in your opinion?
21. Factoring in SES, has been discussed as an alternative to affirmative action. Do you think this is a good way to encourage diversity? Economic diversity? Racial diversity? Why do you think this kind of system will/will not work?
22. Where does your money come from and how is it apportioned?
23. Do you think NYUs pursuits abroad are distracting it from serving its New York students to the fullest? Why does NYU feel the need to be an international center?
24. What is NYU doing to make sure that its education is accessible to minority and disadvantaged students?
25. I see that you have a background in political science. How do you think that has helped you as Senior Vice President for University Relations and Public Affairs at NYU?
26. I see that you have been a part of the NYU Sustainability Task Force. Why do you think universities need to play a role in improving the environment? Is it for PR?
27. According to my research, some of your plans include having a campus for Polytechnic Institute of New York University in downtown Brooklyn, a medical research building and home for the nursing school near NYU Langone Medical Center, a possible satellite campus on Governors Island and, up to 2 million square feet of in Greenwich Village. Do you think investing in all of these plans will steer NYU away from it’s focus on its students?
28. If I was applying to work as VP in your position, what information would you tell me? What would you want me to know?
29. How does being so spread out affect NYU’s unity? What makes NYU one unit? What is the common thread that ties all NYU campuses together?
30. Do you think expanding NYU’s campus overseas is making higher education more accessible for students? How is the global campus of NYU a pioneer for future institutions? What role does it play in promoting diversity?
