Interview with A. D. Albright, May 9, 1989

Partial Transcript: When you talked about the, uh, s--survival as, uh--I, I forget exactly how you say that, but it’s the greatest measure of intelligence in sense, right?

Segment Synopsis: Albright says that Dr. Otis Singletary had stabilized the constitution of the University of Kentucky, but failed to make much educational progress, which implied that survival is a fundamental criteria of intelligence.

Keywords: Adapt; Assessment of context; Intelligence; Model; Progress; Stabilize; Survival

Subjects: College administrators; College presidents; Educational change; School management and organization; Universities and colleges--Administration; University of Kentucky

Partial Transcript: Well when you look at the, uh--what’s going on--we talked about this some last week, when you look at what’s going on at Murray and at Kentucky State, you get the feeling that the people who, who are not in control of those institutions but are closest to these institutions they don’t really care about great educational movements, they want stability within the institution and relationships between those institutions and the constituency, right?

Segment Synopsis: Albright says that institutions, and society in general, do not like change or progress but prefer stability. He talks about survival and how an individual or institution's survival is not necessarily what is best for society at large. He compares the mindset of various college presidents, including himself.

Keywords: A reflection of society; A sense of freedom; David Roselle; Educational change; Fear of resignation; John Oswald; Otis Singletary; Survival and intelligence

Subjects: College presidents; Educational change; School management and organization; Universities and colleges--Administration; Universities and colleges--Faculty; University of Kentucky

Partial Transcript: And, uh, there, uh, there, there are a couple of things, one is that there--it seems to me that there has to be some picture in the head, some kind--some vision of what this organism can be.

Segment Synopsis: Albright says that leaders must have a vision of where they want to go. They discuss the visions and goals of various American presidents. He talks about the vision of college presidents and how the success of their plans are closely tied to the other people and institutions they must work with to achieve those goals. He compares this to a Canadian politician who had recently stepped down, as well as Kala Stroup at Murray State University.

Keywords: Accommodate to context; Canadian presidents; Climate and atmosphere; Dedication; George H. W. Bush; John Kennedy; Kala Stroup; Murray State University; Richard Nixon; Ronald Reagan; Vision

Subjects: College administrators; College presidents; Education--Kentucky; School management and organization; Universities and colleges--Administration; University of Kentucky

Partial Transcript: Another thing, uh, seems to me is, uh, if, uh, one pulls a boo boo, and I don’t believe I haven't run into anybody who’s not capable of it...

Segment Synopsis: Albright says that the courage to make mistakes is another essential trait for college administrators. And one will never be successful if one doesn’t make any mistakes.

Keywords: Candid; Capable; Difficult for president; Go through again; Recognize mistakes yourself

Subjects: College administrators; College presidents; Education--Kentucky; School management and organization; Universities and colleges--Administration; University of Kentucky

Partial Transcript: I, I've thought over the past weeks now and then about the presidency particularly in Kentucky and, uh, I have had slight urges to write an article, a newspaper article about it but I guess I'd better not.

Segment Synopsis: Albright talks about how the universities and colleges in Kentucky are either at risk of their presidents quitting or the presidents are at risk of being let go by the university. He talks about the average tenure of a college president.

Keywords: At-risk; Challenging jobs; Decisions; Eastern Kentucky University; Northern Kentucky University; Presidency tenure

Subjects: College administrators; College administrators--Training of; College presidents; Education--Kentucky; School management and organization; Universities and colleges--Administration; University of Kentucky

Partial Transcript: It's a, it's a challenging job, but, uh, one I think, as, as we've said before, uh, that the applicants or the aspirants to them are not enough acquainted with, uh, what’s involved to be dissuaded from seeking them.

Segment Synopsis: Albright says that the applicants for president of the University of Kentucky were unqualified. He says that it is necessary to build new assessment system.

Keywords: 90 percent; Applicants; Assessment; Hot dogs; Role and performance

Subjects: College administrators; College administrators--Training of; College presidents; School management and organization; Universities and colleges--Administration; University of Kentucky

Partial Transcript: I find that a very difficult position for a president because it’s my sense that he really did want to hire a woman chancellor but it’s the sense that the people really really really wanted a woman chancellor that this was all just a front and that he didn’t really want to. How you read that?

Segment Synopsis: Albright says that there existed an invisible system in university that everyone was conformed to. The difficulties that women had faced when they were seeking for a job in a university symbolized the unequal hierarchical informal structure in the university.

Keywords: Amenable; Certain ethics and certain amenities; Hierarchical informal structure; Liberal arts; Math and science; Override the committee; Women applicants

Subjects: College administrators; College environment; College presidents; College teachers--Selection and appointment; School management and organization; Sex discrimination in higher education.; Sexism in higher education; Universities and colleges--Administration; University of Kentucky; Women in higher education.; Women--Education (Higher)

Partial Transcript: I guess, uh, what comes to my mind when you say that, Dr. Albright, is that it goes along with a lot of other things in Kentucky and that we always feel we're behind but worse than feeling that we're behind, we always feel like we are too late to start.

Segment Synopsis: Albright says that only sitting around and talking about issues without real actions could not solve problems. The emphasis on lip-service had begun to prevail in the university. People always tend to wait for someone else to stand up to start to act. However, movements are essential and necessary for progress and change.

Keywords: A new different look at higher education; Generational flavor; Movements; Next people; Sit around and talk; Without deciding

Subjects: College administrators; College environment; College presidents; School management and organization; Universities and colleges--Administration; University of Kentucky

Partial Transcript: There were four classifications and the fourth one was one in which it was what we called "minus minus."

Segment Synopsis: Albright describes a scale of measuring a person's self-perception and their perception of others. He talks about an experiment conducted on this idea. He says that what makes an administrator successful is that they have a healthy perception of themselves and others.

Keywords: "Minus minus"; "Plus plus"; Arrogant character; Assume responsibility and leadership; Give up immediately; Healthy perception of self; Most successful

Subjects: College administrators; College presidents; Education; School management and organization; Universities and colleges--Administration; University of Kentucky

Partial Transcript: I was curious as if you had much interaction with Scott Wendelsdorf and what your observation of his tenure as student government president were?

Segment Synopsis: Albright testified before a grand jury on the student movements on campus during this time and recalls that he told the jury that the student movement on campus was being overplayed.

Keywords: Grand jury; Motivation of student movement; Overthrow; Radical; Scott Wendelsdorf; Student government presidents

Subjects: College administrators; College students; College students--Attitudes.; College students--Political activity.; Education; School management and organization; Universities and colleges--Administration; University of Kentucky

Partial Transcript: What does the, uh, relationship between Scott Wendelsdorf as representative of student government and his relationship with Otis Singletary and the board of trustees, does that--what does that say about higher education...

Segment Synopsis: Albright describes the differences between student activists during the 1970s and students in the 1980s, explaining that students are more institutionally oriented and more concerned with majoring in a subject that will eventually make them money. Albright talks about the role of student government.

Keywords: General dispersal; Great service; Guerrilla fighters; Higher education; Institutional part; Less energized; Outside the mainstream of conversation; Recurrent role; Student government

Subjects: College administrators; College students; College students--Attitudes.; College students--Political activity.; Education; School management and organization; Universities and colleges--Administration; University of Kentucky