On Jan. 5, Len Jessup became the 10th president of 51³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ. He previously served as dean of the Eller College of Management at the University of Arizona where he helped create Tech Launch Arizona, a program for moving ideas from the lab to the marketplace. He also led the college to become financially self-sustaining and, as a founding board member of the UA Health Network, helped rebuild the university's academic medical center.
Prior to that he worked at Washington State University (WSU) as dean of its business college and then vice president of development and president of the WSU Foundation.
A former baseball player, he received his bachelor's and MBA degrees from California State University, Chico and his Ph.D. in organizational behavior and management information systems (MIS) from the University of Arizona.
You're coming to 51³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ as the university begins its initiative to achieve Tier One university status. This is a very big order. Where do you start?
Tier One seems really big -- because certainly the impact of it will be phenomenal -- but it is also doable. One thing that struck me during the interview process is that I don't think people realize how good the people at 51³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ already are. I also could tell there were misperceptions about Tier One.
Undergraduates have a sense that it's just about research. Some people think it only affects the hard sciences. That's just not the case on both counts. You can't build a research program without a solid foundation for teaching. And Tier One universities also have strong fine arts and humanities programs. Tier One helps to elevate all of our conversations. It challenges the status quo and it helps to bring beauty and creativity to every area of a community.
So a big part of my job will be helping people to see their role in Tier One -- both how they will benefit from it and how they can help.
How will we benefit from Tier One?
We will become bigger and rank better as a result, but that's not all that Tier One is about. The real value is the impact on this state. This will create spinout businesses. This will generate jobs and bring in new revenues to Nevada, which will then improve our schools and roads. It will expand opportunities so our talented young people stay here. And it will strengthen the national and global reach of 51³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ alumni.
Effecting change can be especially hard at universities. What have you learned from your past experiences?
Transparency is critical. I was appointed dean of the business school at WSU after being on the faculty and a department chair. You'd think I would have had a good handle on what was happening in the college, but what I didn't know -- none of the faculty knew -- was that our accreditation was in serious jeopardy and we had a year to turn it around. The bad accreditation report hadn't been revealed to faculty.
When I stepped into the dean role I realized I had to share everything, and I mean everything, with the faculty and staff. Then I said, "You're on the inside now, which means you have to help fix it, too." We not only turned it around, we used it as the impetus for making some really progressive, forward-thinking changes in how we did things.
That experience really has shaped how I approach leadership. This is a team sport; it takes everyone with the same game plan to get things done.
There has been a groundswell of community support for a new medical school at 51³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ. Why is this a top initiative for 51³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ?
The medical school is a key part of becoming a Tier One university. It's one of the best investments we can make in our own community. It will bring direct economic impact in terms of fostering a biotech economy and keeping our health care dollars local. And beyond that, it will help make this a healthier place to live.
What are the greatest challenges of starting up the medical school?
Initially, the challenge is finding the fuel -- seed money from the state -- to breathe life into our ambitions. Then we will need to attract private philanthropy and develop research partnerships to keep the fire stoked. But I am very optimistic. The market need is clearly there and 51³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ really does offer the best way to fulfill it.
The Las Vegas Weekly described you as a fundraising "rock star." What does it take to make fundraising work?
I don't know about that "rock star" part. Fundraising takes a lot of people to make it work -- not just any one person at one point in time. A donor's relationship is with the institution over a long time and with many people. They may encounter a number of different fundraisers -- and presidents -- as that relationship evolves. That's particularly true for alumni, whose experience as a student shaped how they feel about the university today.
So again, my job as president is to help donors see their role and how their own interests align with the university's. It's about how their generosity will impact the lives of not only people on campus but also their neighbors or their employees or the greater community.
What do you like about fundraising?
It really is a great privilege.
When I was at WSU, I met Scott Carson, former CEO of Boeing (Commercial Airplanes). He'd been involved in WSU for some time and had decided to make a much more substantial gift (WSU's business college is now named for him). He told me that there are a very small handful of things that stand out in his life -- getting married, the birth of his children, and one or two big wins at work -- and then there was the day he made that first really substantial philanthropic commitment to WSU. It's really an honor to be part of what many philanthropists describe as one of the best moments of his or her life.
Is there any one experience that you can recall that shaped your philosophy on higher education?
My family history is like that of a lot of immigrant families -- and like the first-generation college students at 51³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ now. There wasn't a lot of talk about college around my house. I don't think my dad stepped foot on a college campus until my graduation. To him, I was going off to junior college to play baseball. I thought the same thing, actually.
Once I figured out I wasn't going to play professionally, I told my coach that I was going to get a business certificate. He told me no, I should go on for a bachelor's degree. It was the first time anyone had counseled me to pursue my education. He saw something in me I didn't see.
That same scenario played out again and again as I went on for a bachelor's degree, and then an MBA, and a Ph.D. I feel a responsibility not only to my family but also to everyone else who helped me along the way to now work in higher education and help this generation of students see the opportunities. I know what it's like for higher education to lift you up from a place with limited options to one that's wide open.
What was your strangest job in college?
Oh I had so many. I was a short-order cook, cleaned a bowling alley at night, was a firefighter for the federal forest service, sold ads for a local paper. Early on, I worked on a farm cutting and baling hay. The jobs got better as I went through college. I eventually got to do things like help build a network in a computer lab and then was lucky enough at one point to land an internship for a small tech firm in Phoenix.
How did you pick your major in college?
I'd like to say I had a grand, visionary plan but in my undergrad program I chose an interdisciplinary information and communication studies program because I really didn't know what I wanted to do. Later in grad school I picked management (organizational behavior) because I was interested in learning more about managing people. For a minor in grad school I wanted something more applied and, once again, a faculty member stepped in to guide me toward management information systems.
Your research has focused on emerging technology in large organizations. What drew you to that?
I came to Arizona for my doctorate in 1985, just as personal computing was starting to take off. In the computer lab, software was being written to support collaboration among team members across a "network" -- it was the precursor to the social media on the Internet as we know it today. I was excited to see something being developed right before my eyes that would impact the way we do business every day.
I caught the research bug right then and there. I realized then what faculty members do in addition to teaching. I realized how universities literally can influence our lives for the better.
You're a former student-athlete. How do you balance a university's commitment to athletics and academics?
Some people make the mistake of pitting one side against the other; they make it athletics versus academics.
Nearly every major public research university has a strong athletics program, and for good reason. Fundamentally, athletics is a great learning and leadership development opportunity for the athletes. Athletics is also often one of the primary ways that other people both on campus and off experience the university, and like other engagement activities -- arts performances, public lectures, even summer camps for kids -- athletics enriches the student experience and engages the general community in the life of the university. I've also often said that athletics is the window through which many people see and form opinions of the university, and so the window needs to be clean and clear. It shapes the university's brand.
What issue in higher education troubles you?
When I went to college, California was heavily subsidizing higher education. I was just plain lucky to be born at the right time. So, the financial burden now on students really does trouble me, and I have a duty to pay attention.
Another thing I'd really like to see gain traction is a shift in how we evaluate colleges. The traditional way to rise in rankings is to tighten standards, to make it hard to get in and to take pride in excluding people and then call that quality. Policymakers now are starting to look at the degree to which an institution helps students succeed, particularly those who are economically disadvantaged. Moving those students through to graduation and into careers is where the focus should be. Many of us would like to see this be less about who we exclude and more about who we include and how we help them to succeed.
So you think states should increase university funding?
It's a "Yes, but."
This country made a grand bet when it created public universities. It's one of the major reasons our democracy has succeeded and our economy became the most robust in the world. But those investments started going down in the '70s on a per capita basis and took a fast dive during the recession. People think the costs of higher education have gone up; in reality, our payer mix changed and students now pay more of the full costs of their college education as the states have necessarily had to pull back their support.
So the business model underlying modern American universities has changed -- and it's not going back, not with pent-up infrastructure needs and Baby Boomer pension plans coming due all across the country.
Public universities clearly have to be more self-sufficient, more entrepreneurial, and more reliant on private philanthropy, grant funding, and business partnerships. To some people in higher education, that's scary. I look at it as an opportunity, particularly for research universities.
The states will continue to do everything they can to help us because we are a good investment. In addition, we need to continue to look for other forms of funding to fuel our ambitions and our duty to our students and to our communities. Our mission now is to become even more valuable to our community by aligning our research to address the issues facing our state, to support our economy, to help protect and preserve our environment, and to provide the cultural activities that make this such a great place to live.
You'll be a sought-after guest at major events and meetings on and off campus. How will you prioritize these activities?
I'm fortunate that a team at 51³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ developed a six-month transition plan to help me be an advocate for the university with all stakeholders. Being the university's top advocate is a pivotal role for a president. It can be tough to balance competing schedules, but I'm really looking forward to being among the individuals and organizations that are coming together to make all of Southern Nevada better.
The same is true for my partner, Kristi (Staab). We met at an (Eller college) alumni mixer over three years ago and we've been together ever since. She is really excited about moving her leadership development company here and building a life with me in Las Vegas. The community has already helped welcome us in so many ways.
I asked one of your colleagues about you and, while he talked about your professional leadership, he said the thing that stands out the most is that you're a "hellacious dad." Tell me about your kids.
My daughter, Jamie, is 17 and my son, David, is 12. They live in in Moscow, Idaho, with their mom, who is a full professor at WSU, and they spend part of their time with their mom and part with me. You know, when I was working at WSU and being recruited for the Arizona job, I was really worried about the impact on them and it was important to me that we make the decision as a family, including their mom. I'll never forget my kids telling me, "Dad, you got this. Go for it." [He pauses.] I tear up when I talk about them. What can I say? I'm Italian.
Who's your favorite ball player?
I grew up in San Francisco. I'm partial to the Giants, so it's gotta be Willie Mays. In football, it's a toss-up between Joe Montana and Jerry Rice.
