Following the announcement of presidential search open forums last Thursday, June 12, Oakland University held its first forum on campus Wednesday, June 18, introducing the first of the three presidential candidates, James D. Spaniolo, to the OU community.

The forum, held in the Gold Rooms of the Oakland Center, ran from 2 to 3:30 p.m. The rooms were filled with interested faculty, staff, students and other parties, who were given the opportunity to ask Spaniolo for comments on a variety of topics. Topics covered included leadership style, global vision, higher education and research priorities, the role of arts and athletics, and more.

Spaniolo, former president of the University of Texas-Arlington (UTA) from February 2004 to May 2013, currently works as the Higher Education Advisor to the Governor of Michigan. He also served for a time as the dean of the College of Communication Arts and Sciences at Michigan State University.

He stated that he was happy to participate in the open forum and that he did not request confidentiality when applying for the position.

Born in Greenville, Michigan and holding degrees from both Michigan State University and the University of Michigan, Spaniolo referenced his work as president of the UTA as to how he would lead Oakland University.

“What meant the most to me was to be engaged at a great university,” Spaniolo said.

He said one of the long-term goals for the university is raising its recognition.

“Oakland is in many ways a jewel but it really hasn’t been recognized,” he said.

Specific questions regarding engineering programs and the school of education were raised, and while Spaniolo believes each are very important in their own right, he said he also believes “each of our academic programs compliment each other nicely.”

Spaniolo also touched on funding issues, saying that  he believes the state needs to invest more in higher education and thinks this may be possible with governor Rick Snyder.

“I think the governor is committed to restoring funding,” he said.

Spaniolo described his leadership style as team-oriented.

“I’m a strong believer in delegating jobs and making sure people are responsible,” he said.

Spaniolo also stressed the importance of respect and kindness when being a good leader.

“Everybody deserves to be treated with respect and everybody deserves to be heard,” he said.

Spaniolo said he is also thinking beyond Oakland University’s main campus.

“The days are over of universities just working on their main campus,” Spaniolo said.

According to Spaniolo, universities must be flexible. This means continuing to promote off-campus education centers and increasing the availability of online classes and an internet presence in general.

Spaniolo said a president must be fully engaged with the campus community, something he aimed to do during his presidency at UTA. He explained how he would host meetings with UTA student leaders once or twice  each year where they could talk to him about their questions and concerns for the university. He also said he did the same with the student newspaper and faculty members.

With that, Spaniolo said he supports athletics and the arts and that the size and influence of these activities at Oakland is just right. A president, according to Spaniolo, should be “the chief promotions officer.”

Spaniolo ended with his overall thoughts and feelings about OU.

“What I see is a lot of positive,” he said. “This is a place you won’t forget when you come visit.”

View Spaniolo’s resume here.