The importance of communication within the university and the Iowa Legislature was one of the points James Melsa emphasized during his forum Thursday in the Gallery Room of the Memorial Union.More than 200 people listened as Melsa, dean of engineering at Iowa State, outlined some of the goals he would work for as president during the open forum.”My style of leadership emphasizes open and honest communication and empowerment,” he said.To have an effective administrative style, Melsa said it is important to listen to negative feedback, as well as positive.”You’ve got to get used to listening to people as an ally and not as an adversary,” he said.Melsa was also asked about faculty members not speaking about important issues because of fear of the administration. He said he does not believe this is a problem and faculty members would address important issues.”I think faculty here have a high degree of ethics,” he said. “My style has never been to punish people who come to me and criticize me. Bad news is really important input.”Communication with the Legislature is also an emphasis, Melsa said, because of possible state cuts in the university budget.”I think we have to convince the state Legislature of the critical importance of the regent institutions to the state’s economy,” he said.Melsa said he would also like to see an increase in fund raising. He said if the cuts continue, the university will have to evaluate what programs may need to be cut in order to avoid a drop in quality.”I am firmly convinced that we have reached the point where we can’t keep cutting 2 percent out,” Melsa said. “We will have to take some really careful looks at what we’re going to stop doing.”During the diversity forum, Melsa answered a question about members of the state Legislature and taxpayers disagreeing with ISU’s same-sex partner health benefits.”It’s a case where we need to educate the state in helping to understand diversity,” he said.Responding to a question about retention of women and minority faculty, Melsa said it is also important to find out the reasons for the retention of women and minority faculty and to see what can be done to keep them at Iowa State.”We need to make sure we are interviewing those people who are leaving,” he said.Melsa also said he would like to see more attention paid to globalization, such as involving more students in international study programs, as well as inviting more people from other countries to visit Iowa State.”The students who graduate from here in the 21st century will live in a global world,” he said. “We have to be a global institution.”Wendell Mosby, senior in apparel merchandising, design and production, said he appreciated Melsa’s honesty in answering his questions, although he said he could have elaborated more on some of them.”I think he gave very honest answers, and he didn’t try to dodge any of them,” he said. “I’ve never worked with him before, and I was pretty impressed.”