Meet the president: Dr. Carlos Vargas-Aburto discusses leadership, diversity and connecting with students at Southeast Missouri State University

Dr. Carlos Vargas-Aburto just started his first school year as president of Southeast Missouri State University. Vargas, who has a Ph.D. in physics and aerospace science from the University of Michigan and a master of science degree from Michigan in physics and in aerospace science, came to Cape Girardeau from Kutztown University in Kutztown, Pennsylvania, where he had worked since 2006, most recently as acting president. He also has worked in higher education roles at Central State University and Kent State University, both in Ohio, and National Autonomous University of Mexico.

Read on as Vargas shares how he's adjusting to his new role at Southeast, and his goals for the future:

__BT: What are you most looking forward to in your first year as university president?__

__CV:__ I've been privileged to learn more about the institution and in getting to know the people, being able to meet the staff, many faculty, an increasing number of students, and a number of groups and individuals from the community in general. I've spent these first two months learning as much as possible about the campus, faculty, staff and students, and what their hopes and expectations are.

One of the things I mentioned when I was appointed is that I want to continue to look at the strategic plan approved in December 2014. Together with the members of the executive staff, following the practice in the past, we are identifying the actions that respond to the goals and objectives of the plan. Overall, I intend to place emphasis on strengthening our commitment to being a student-centered institution. This summer, I attended one of the workshops of the Higher Learning Commission in Chicago with several of the faculty and staff. That opportunity provided me with a better sense of the activities that are going on and the action projects that are being developed to satisfy our accreditation and to continue to maintain our quality academic programs.

We will establish the foundation for continued improvement and will work on dealing with the challenges Southeast faces, which, to a large degree, are similar to those faced by higher education in general. So, I'm hoping that at the end of the year, I'll be able to look back and be pleased with what I see.

__BT: What has been your biggest challenge so far, and how did you overcome it?__

__CV:__ The biggest challenge has been time management -- there are not enough hours in the day to meet all the people I want to meet, to visit all the places in the region I want to visit and to learn as much about the university, this region and this state as I want to learn. I need more hours in the day to listen to our faculty, staff, students, alumni and the members of the community. I enjoy sitting down with individuals and finding out what they think about the university, what they think about their experience and trying to absorb and learn from what they're saying.

__BT: Do you have any distinct plans for future programs at the university?__

__CV:__ First and foremost, I want to concentrate on the implementation of the strategic plan that was approved last December by the Board of Regents.

Southeast has been on a positive path for many years in succession. I want to ensure that Southeast remains a competitive institution. My interest is to help the institution remain competitive, remain stable and become more innovative. I want to make sure we continue to have high-quality academic programs. We need to identify disciplinary or interdisciplinary areas where we can develop new academic programs. Clearly, we don't have to do everything, but what we do, we should do it well.

Innovation is the key to the future. I would like to see the university take a more holistic approach so students who graduate from Southeast leave this institution with the ability to innovate by developing or applying new and emerging technologies, and solve real-life problems. I want them to be able to integrate the knowledge they have gained here and apply it to the communities where they establish their careers, be it local, national or international.

__BT: How do you plan to increase student diversity at Southeast?__

__CV:__ I want the university to be a destination school, increasingly, for all kinds of students. Southeast has worked very hard in the past to attract a diverse student body. We have more than a thousand African-American students and more than 1,100 international students. One of the areas where I think we can improve our numbers is in attracting more Hispanic students. We've increased our enrollment this year to 198, but we are planning to work with some other state organizations and groups to work on improving that number. Additionally, we need to increase the diversity of our faculty and staff. The university has hired Ms. Sonia Rucker as coordinator of institutional equity and diversity, and among her responsibilities will be working with deans, chairs and directors in attracting and retaining a more diverse group of faculty and staff at Southeast.

Dr. Carlos Vargas-Aburto (photo courtesy of Southeast Missouri State University)

__BT: How do you connect with students on a daily basis?__

__CV:__ I continuously seek opportunities to interact with students. Although many times I do so in formal meetings, I enjoy being able to meet students in informal settings. For example, I have been able to spend time with a group of students (including many international ones) that gather to play soccer. I was very thankful that they invited me to join them. We have played a few times, and have been joined by some of the coaching staff, administrators and even parents of some Southeast students. As frequently as possible, I spend time at the Recreation Center, where I have the opportunity to interact with students that otherwise I might not be able to talk to.

Additionally, I meet several times weekly with different student organizations and student leaders and always ask for feedback and input on any university projects or initiatives.

I am an engaged president -- engaged internally with every single group, and externally with the community and its leaders, with industry and the business sector, with local and state legislators, with whoever is out there we can explore forming partnerships with that may eventually turn into opportunities for our students. Student success is very dear to me.

__BT: What do you foresee your future looking like at the university?__

__CV:__ I'm not a person who goes someplace and changes things just for the sake of changing them. I like to see how things operate. And I adapt to things. If they're working, I'm perfectly comfortable with that. If not, then, based on what I observe, then we talk about possible ways of changing. I interact with and listen to people before suggesting changes.

I am very impressed with Southeast, and I hope I will be able to make the right decisions and live up to the expectations of the campuses and the community. I have the will to succeed as president of Southeast, and I will do my best in leading the institution; and we will continue to excel.

__BT: What do you believe constitutes a quality leader?__

__CV:__ In my parents' own subtle way, they were able to help me identify traits that are important as a leader. They really did not push me in any direction, but at the same time, they somehow were able to communicate to me what their expectations were. And when you have individuals expecting more of you, you give more. If they don't expect more of you, you don't give much, and so I think it is important to expect the best from all people.

A leader has to be someone who has integrity and honesty above all. I think that's pretty critical. A leader should be a good listener and willing to learn. That means you sometimes have to recognize that perhaps your view is not the best way to do things or the best approach. I think being able to have a good set of interpersonal skills is critical.

People talk about having individuals with vision and clearly being able to energize individuals around them. But rather, the most effective leaders are those who are very committed, very passionate, humble, and are willing to do what it takes to achieve their goals. And I believe in servant leadership -- somebody who earns respect rather than being given respect arbitrarily or taking it himself or herself.

__BT: What is something a lot of people don't know about you?__

__CV:__ I like listening to rock 'n' roll and the Beatles. Some of my favorite songs are "Yesterday" and "Help." I also love classical music. My favorite composers belong to the romantic period: Chopin, Mozart, Schubert and others.

My love for classical music comes from my father. He used to have a grand piano in the house and he would invite students from the conservatory in Mexico City to come and practice and play for us. So sometimes in the evenings, he would have a number of guests in the house just listening to somebody practicing for a recital. They would come to the house and we would have 20 or 30 people there listening to someone practice. And sometimes, the students would come to the house to practice because they wouldn't have a piano themselves. So they would come to the house and we would all go to bed and we'd all go to sleep, and the students would continue to practice. I remember going to bed listening to somebody practicing a piece over and over and over. That is just an impressive way of getting to love a piece. Then every note that is played, you remember it so well.

__BT: What do you like to do when you're not working?__

__CV:__ I enjoy reading. I don't read many novels, but I like to read biographies. I enjoy reading science, literature and poetry. My wife (Pam) and I love to travel, and I like to learn other languages. I studied German when I was in college. I don't speak it at this point because I haven't had the opportunity to practice it. I also studied a little bit of French. I attend musical events, cultural events and sports whenever my schedule will allow. I am a big sports fan. Soccer happens to be the sport I grew up with and played. It's not the one I played the best. My best sport was basketball; however, when I came to the United States and I tried to play, I found out everyone was better than I was. So I decided maybe soccer was the sport to stick to. I enjoy playing it, and I enjoying watching it. You might also try challenging me to a game of ping pong. I'm pretty good at holding my own in that game, too.