Staff, faculty and students gathered in the McCormick Tribune Center Forum at 10 a.m. Wednesday for a 90-minute open forum with President Morton Schapiro on issues concerning Northwestern. The event was the second of two “Conversation with the President” events planned by the Northwestern University Staff Advisory Council in collaboration with the Office of the President and the General Faculty Committee.
The event started with Schapiro generally addressing the audience and summarizing what he had been working on, including Northwestern’s Univeristy Strategic Plan, marketing strategies and budget.
“You want something that’s actually going to get implemented,” Schapiro said. The school is hoping to create a strategic plan that will transcend singling out one school while still being narrow enough to ensure efficiency. Furthermore, undergraduate infrastructure will continue to be improved, as it has been this past year in places like Elder Hall and Fran’s Café.
Schapiro also highlighted the extremely capable staff at Northwestern. He has been pleased with “how positively obsessed with undergraduate education” professors are while still conducting research.
After the general speech, the floor then opened up for questions. A large range of concerns were brought up by attendees, including the Living Wage Campaign, diversity on campus and the school’s branding.
Schapiro answered questions concerning the Living Wage Campaign as both a president and an economist. He said that he hopes to work with the union, but said that salaries cannot be raised because there cannot be the same number of workers or the same workers themselves if pay is higher.
Doris Dirks, who works at the Center for Student Involvement as Coordinator of Student Organizations for Social Justice/LGBT Resource Center, asked Schapiro about his plans for student affairs.
“As someone who works in student affairs, it sometimes feels like the step child of the institution next to academics,” Dirks said. According to Schapiro, the school is raising lots of funds to help student affairs in the coming year.
Those who were unable to make it to the event were able to tune in via live webcast. They were also able to submit questions to nusac@u.northwestern.edu, some of which were answered by Schapiro.
“People asked tough questions and I respect his ability to walk into difficult situations instead of just hiding in his office,” Dirks said.