Bright and early Monday morning, Gregory Geoffroy will take his first steps on campus as the 14th president of Iowa State.

A running start

Geoffroy (pronounced Jo-free) said he wants to start the day with a workout before taking on a packed schedule of meetings. Geoffroy said he will be driving to Ames from Rockville, Md., and plans to arrive on Sunday.

The Knoll is not yet completed, so the Geoffroys will be temporarily housed in the Wessex Apartments in north Ames.

Geoffroy said he wants to get off to a fast start when he arrives at Iowa State.

“I want to hit the ground running,” he said. “The first day I have a full morning of meetings . with the vice presidents and then with the computer expert to make sure that my workstation is all set up the way I want it.”

At the top of Geoffroy’s list of priorities is adhering to the university’s goals as laid out in its strategic plan.

“My overarching goal is to have the university . be the very best land-grant university in the nation,” he said. “I think it’s the right goal for the university, and I think I know what’s needed to make that happen.”

Geoffroy said he will have a variety of duties while serving Iowa State, but he wants to take time to focus on three pillars during his administration: strengthening academics, raising funds and fulfilling the university’s land-grant mission.

“I think you have to focus on building very strong academic programs that are recognized as being the very best in their field, and that starts first and foremost with the recruitment and retention of outstanding faculty,” he said. “I think it also means making sure the university provides top-quality education to all students who come to the university.”

Missed in Maryland

Joanna Schmeissner, Geoffroy’s assistant at the University of Maryland, said Geoffroy will be missed.

“Greg worked very hard to include people,” she said. “They felt he was always very straight-forward about how the funding was being spent and what his goals were. I think people genuinely liked Greg a lot.”

Schmeissner said Geoffroy developed warm working relationships and set high expectations for his staff and for himself.

“We got a lot of work done, and we got it done on time,” she said.

“Greg maintains a fast pace. Things didn’t fall through the cracks. He’s one of the most organized people I’ve ever met.”

The confusion over the pronunciation of Geoffroy’s name was something Schmeissner became familiar with while working in his office.

“The first thing I did was learn how to pronounce and spell it,” she said.

His coworkers were aware that Geoffroy was interviewing for positions elsewhere, Schmeissner said, and they knew the university he moved to would be receiving a great leader.

“It was really tough – we wanted the best for him when he was interviewing him but we kind of wished that he wouldn’t have had so many nice great offers,” she said.

Needed: One president

Former President Martin Jischke left Iowa State for Purdue University in the summer of 2000, and a search for his successor began shortly afterward. The search ultimately cost $160,483.

The Presidential Search Committee, chaired by Benjamin Allen, dean of business, developed search criteria, including someone who was able to articulate, communicate and execute the success of a vision.

The committee had narrowed their selections to a list of five: Sharon Brehm, provost at Ohio University, Athens; Michael Crow, executive vice provost at Columbia University, Manhattan, New York; Cora Marrett, senior vice chancellor for academic affairs and provost at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst; James Melsa, dean of the College of Engineering at Iowa State; and, of course, Geoffroy.

At that point the finalists were invited to speak at open forums on campus.

The committee gave their recommendations to the state Board of Regents, who interviewed each candidate and made the final decision.

The Board of Regents selected Geoffroy in January and approved his salary of $275,000.

Setting his pace

Geoffroy is entering office at a difficult point in the financial state of Iowa universities. Before leaving his position as interim president, Richard Seagrave prepared next year’s finalized budget, but Geoffroy still faces the recent budget cuts and tuition increases brought on earlier this year.

“That’s, of course, a challenge,” Geoffroy said. “I think we have to work hard to convince political leaders in the state that the university is worth supporting at an appropriate level.”

Focusing resources on the university’s highest priorities, needs and objectives and using them efficiently will be a key part of getting through next year, Geoffroy said.

“Fund raising will be an important part of what I do,” he said. “I expect to be spending a lot of time on that.”

Geoffroy must also fill a number of administrative positions, such as the vice president of External Affairs and the dean of the agriculture college.

“We’re going to work to make sure we recruit top-quality individuals for both of those positions,” he said.

His first week at Iowa State will consist of meetings with administrators and the Government of the Student Body, Geoffroy said. He said he will also try to meet other students.

“I do want to try to interact with students as much as possible,” he said. “[I] want to look for opportunities to have informal interactions with students at events around campus. I intend to just sort of spontaneously show up at places.”

Geoffroy said he was drawn to Iowa State because of its tradition of excellence, which he hopes to continue.

“The more that I’ve gotten to know the university and met Iowa State people, the more impressed I’ve been,” he said. “I’m excited about the opportunity to lead this institution.”