OUR OPINION: Oblinger should have taken this opportunity to address major problems facing N.C. State.
Chancellor James Oblinger gave his State of N.C. State address in Stewart Theatre Tuesday at 11 a.m. and failed to tackle the most important problems facing the University.
His speech was about accomplishments the members of the Wolfpack family have had and ended with a cheesy statement about “Red means go.” Oblinger was trying to stay positive throughout his speech, and it is reassuring to know our University has successful students and alumni, in a time that is financially unstable, but it is unacceptable to blanket core problems with blatant public relations.
We must be realistic, not idealistic.
Also, toward the end of the speech, he asked questions but answered none. Oblinger’s speech was disappointingly vague and did not give the University any real answers to problems it is facing.
People didn’t listen to the State of N.C. State address to find out what people at the University did in 2008. People listen to it to find out answers, especially when the University is facing at least a $36 million budget cut next year.
Not mentioning how Oblinger is going to solve the budget crisis leaves the University in an uncomfortable and unsure situation. Maybe Oblinger was so busy working on the budget he did not have enough time to write an effective speech. The chancellor must realize the only way to solve these problems is to face them head on and also be transparent. The State of N.C. State address would also have been an opportune time to discuss the budget because he has not commented on it on Budget Central since Feb. 16.
Besides missing the mark by not discussing the budget in more detail, the chancellor neglected to mention students much in his address. Though he did mention a few dozen students, he did not address the student population as a whole.
He did not mention specific ways the University is going to tackle the budget issues it is facing. He did not mention how this was going to affect students. Students must know how these issues are going to affect them, especially if it affects classes or creates a situation where students begin to have trouble graduating on time.
Former Chancellor Mary Anne Fox was known for communicating with students. Oblinger is known for raising funds for the University well. Both are extremely important in working to make N.C. State better but Oblinger must find a balance between the two if he wants to be an effective leader.
Gov. Bev Perdue’s State of the State address Monday was more specific than Oblinger’s.. Perdue has an entire to state to manage and Oblinger has just 40,000 people to lead. Just saying “people are counting on N.C. State” is not enough to solve our problems. Let’s look to the “autobahn of innovation” for our solution.
