Feature KS: Do you have a favorite book? President Maurer: Really it’s a list of 10 or 20. I am a nonfiction reader, which kind of gets back to my obsession with time. It’s not that there aren’t really great works of fiction, but I always feel like I am behind in reading, in knowledge, and education. There is probably something psychologically deep and dark here that I need counseling for. But there are several books that have most influenced who I am and how I lead, manage and think. Obviously Scripture would be the most important of those. I read Aristotle later in life, including the Nicomachean Ethics--deep and profound works. On the more contemporary and practical level, Peter Drucker’s book The Effective Executive is a seminal book in management and leadership. Drucker, I think, had a lot of things right. I am currently reading The Soul of the American University by George Marsden and, via audiobook, I am re-reading Allan Bloom’s The Closing of the American Mind. My habit with books is that I finish some and not others. KS: What do you think makes an effective college president? What particular skills do you feel are needed? President Maurer: An effective university administrator needs to be able to understand and execute organizational leadership. That gets back to that unglamorous gift of administration. It really is unglamorous, yet it is at the heart. I think communication skills are necessary; verbal skills are more important than written. I think a successful college president needs to understand how non-profits work, how the economic model works, and how nonprofit boards work. Certainly having an understanding of the financial aspects of an organization is essential. I think you also need a person who can build trust within an institution. If trust is built and trust is happening and organizational /structural things are happening, then you’ve got most of the core of what an effective presidency requires. KS: Given those elements, why did you come to Sterling College? The overaching question - WHY STERLING? President Maurer: Joellen and I have always made big decisions on the basis of a sense of call. The lens through which we view opportunities is trying to align one’s gifts and abilities with the job description, and the role of serving in a presidency seemed in alignment. Specifically, “Why Sterling?” really boils down to two reasons: one, because it is a Christ-centered school and two, because Sterling is on the rise. I can spend an hour unpacking those two reasons, but in short, that’s it. KS: What do you think has been SC’s biggest accomplishment in recent years? President Maurer: The hiring of Bruce Douglas [as president] is the biggest accomplishment. Enrollment and retention have risen for three years; the discount rate has dropped for three years; the financial stability of the school is probably better than it has been in many, many years. Bruce Douglas turned SC around and we today are the beneficiaries of his tough-minded willingness to make hard decisions. Bruce Douglas put Sterling on a healthy path. There are seven or eight major indicators of Sterling’s growth in recent years. KS:What is your plan of action/priority list for these next few years? President Maurer: It seems there are three legs to the stool for Sterling’s near-term future. One is to continue to clarify Sterling’s mission. A lot of progress has been made toward clarifying Sterling’s mission as a Christ-centered school in recent years. I don’t think that the job
is finished yet. As we move forward, the Board is considering how to further clarify the school’s mission internally and externally so that we are unambiguous about who we are as a Christ-centered school. The second leg of that stool is to strengthen Sterling College’s academic profile. For Sterling to continue to grow, for Sterling to continue to become a healthier institution, it is important that a Sterling education gains a measure of market demand that it does not possess today. Creating market demand for a Sterling education is not simple or easy or quick. Steps have been made in that direction with some of the recent faculty hires, yet my hope is that we will continue to execute ways by which can begin to become selective. There’ s nothing quite like saying “no” as a means to enhancing your academic reputation, and Sterling hasn’t been able to afford to say “no” in the past. My hope is that in the not-too-distant future, we will begin to say “no.” The third leg is financial resourcing. We need to take steps to strengthen the economic model of the school, both through increased enrollment and increased philanthropic giving. We simply don’t have enough resources. We will seek to strengthen both the admissions and advancement offices in the days ahead to increase our resource base. I think the current vision of the College is quite compelling. I would suggest a shortened version of the current vision statement and that is “to be the finest Christ-centered, liberal arts college in the Great Plains.” That is a big goal and one that I think will keep us busy for quite some time. KS: With the country’s current economic downturn and many students turning to junior colleges and staying closer to home, what would you say to encourage a student to pursue a four-year institution like Sterling College? President Maurer: I have absolutely nothing negative to say about any junior college or any four-year school that is not a Christ-centered school, state school or private secular. However, the kind of education Sterling offers is different. All those other schools will offer two things: the transmission of knowledge and a measure of professional training. What they will not offer is instruction on the meaning of life. A Sterling education is the transmission of knowledge, it is a measure of professional training, but it is more. Embedded into day-to-day life on this campus are the questions of life’s meaning, the “who are we?” and “why do we exist?” questions. This is traditionally what liberal arts education has always done, but there are only a few schools remaining that continue in that tradition. Sterling is one of the few schools left that has this at its core. So if you want that kind of education, come to Sterling. If the first two pieces of the equation are what you want in a college education, you don’t need Sterling, but if those deeper issues of life’s meaning matter to you as a prospective student or as a prospective parent, then Sterling is worth taking a look at. KS: Anything additional you would like to share? President Maurer: I think these are good days at Sterling, even though the economic downturn is hurting us. It’s hurting a lot of higher education and particularly private schools, but economic downturn aside, these really are very good days. As we navigate through the recession, I expect the trajectory will be an exciting one in the days ahead. I think Sterling has a very bright future.
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