Every seat in the Pioneer Room of the Memorial Union was filled as Terry King, a finalist for Iowa State’s vice president for academic affairs and provost position, spoke in an open forum on Wednesday.

King, an ISU alumnus, is dean of the College of Engineering at Kansas State University. He also served on the ISU faculty for 15 years, including time as the chairman of the chemical engineering department.

King spoke about making a different at Iowa State and answered questions from members of the audience. “You step into higher education to make a difference,” he said.

King’s core beliefs about higher education involve faculty and student interaction, scholarship and integration, he said.

“I define scholarship as that which drives the profession forward,” King said.

He also spoke about academic leadership.

“You have to deal with the day to day details of the job, and problem solving is very important,” King said. “We have to drive change.”

Change is the most challenging task for an academic institution to accomplish, King said.

“If you don’t change, you’ll likely have things changed for you,” he said.

He said he is a firm believer in engaging people in the decision-making process. “Change happens when faculty buys into it.”

There is the need to engage people at those levels and hold them accountable for implementing change, King said.

He also discussed teaching methods and styles, saying teachers should work in teams and strive for betterment.

“We should invite teachers into our classrooms to help us improve,” King said.

He also said he admires Iowa State’s learning communities. “I am intrigued by the learning communities here, and I encourage that to continue.”

King discussed his view of an ideal learning environment, and said it should extend throughout campus and into the community.

As provost, he said he would strive for integration and cooperation between departments on campus.

“There needs to be cross-talk facilitated by the provost,” King said.

Although he comes from a science background, he said he understands the importance of humanities at a science and technology school.

“Humanities give direction and balance. They need to be available to each other,” King said.

He also said his experience as a dean has given him political experience, and he said a person doesn’t spend time being a dean without understanding the politics of a university.

Budget cuts and economic development were other issues King discussed, calling the struggle between access and equality a lose-lose situation. “We shouldn’t exist if we don’t have equality.”

He said he believes universities need to be leaders in economic development.

“ISU could be a major engine of economic development,” King said.

Zora Zimmerman, associate dean of Liberal Arts and Sciences, said she was pleased with King’s ideas.

“He really addressed the most important questions that have come up in this past year,” she said.

Zimmerman said she understands the challenges ISU faces. “He understands critical concerns and is very interested in students.”