'Clear conscience' for UA candidate

There are three large problems facing the world, according to Pramod P. Khargonekar, dean of the University of Florida College of Engineering.

The first is globalization, which "has destroyed the values of time and space and the way people learn about the world." Second, is that about 5 billion of the world's 6.6 billion people are seeking an "American-style" of living, which is putting tremendous pressure on natural resources. Finally, the world is "more divided than ever along lines of race, religion and culture."

That's the bad news, Khargonekar said. The good news, he says, is that public research universities hold the solutions to those challenges.

Khargonekar is one of three candidates for provost of the University of Arizona. He was here Thursday for interviews, tours and a public forum.

"Public research institutions such as the UA are at the forefront of educating the citizens of tomorrow," he told a crowd of about 100. "If we do an excellent job of educating these students, I'm confident these problems will be solved. If we don't, the problems will only get worse."

Khargonekar described himself as a scholar at heart, saying, "I entered the university at age 16 and never left." He has been in various administrative positions for the past decade.

He said that experience - especially managing three major budget cuts from the state of Florida - helps qualify him to lead the faculty and staff as President Robert N. Shelton's second-in-command.

Khargonekar described his management style as "collaborative and team-oriented," saying he works closely with both faculty and staff in every major decision.

In answer to a question by a staff union representative about whether staff would be the first to go during a financial crunch, Khargonekar detailed his process when the University of Florida was asked to give back more than $4 million in 2001.

"I talked to the chairs of all the departments, and . . . we found a lot of programs that grew around the dean's office that were great to have when times were flush, but not so when money was tight," he said. Those areas were cut and academic units were spared.

However, when Khargonekar had to manage a $2.8 million cut in August, about half of those cuts had to come from academic departments, with some staff cuts.

"Is there a magic bullet? No," he said. "Am I a magician? No. Are these hard decisions? Yes. Will some people get hurt? Yes. But the way I go to sleep at night with a clear conscience - which is important to me - is (to ask) 'Will we be a better college in three or four years having endured this? And the answer is yes."

Khargonekar said the key to robust universities is getting more money into higher education and not having to continually cut.

"We must ask, in as forceful a manner as possible, for (state support) of universities," he said. "But we must also look elsewhere to generate new revenue."

Khargonekar said he placed emphasis on diversity in both the faculty and student body, as well as diversity in education.

"There's a tremendous skill-orientation to today's student, the 'Can I get a job?' But what else will you learn? At age 22 you might not get it, but at 40 or 50, when life starts throwing you curveballs, you better appreciate (the humanities) and learning Shakespeare and history," he said.

The final candidate for the provost position is Robert D. Newman, dean of humanities and associate vice president for interdisciplinary studies at the University of Utah.

Newman will visit UA on Monday with a public forum from 4 to 5:30 p.m. in the Student Union North Ballroom.