A President's Reflections

Week in the Life

Posted on November 19, 2008

I’m not sure there is a typical week in the life of a university president, but last week was as good as any to illustrate the range of activities.  It included:

  • A faculty/staff Q&A where we discussed the new Strategic Plan;
  • An evening meeting in Boston regarding an outside review of another institution;
  • Cooking dinner for a visiting foundation officer and hosting her visit to campus the next day;
  • Four working lunches (on and off campus);
  • Meetings of the NHCUC, NH Campus Compact, and Heritage United Way boards;
  • Two cultivation dinners with donors and/or trustees;
  • A conference call with China staff;
  • A large number of one-on-one meetings with various staff;
  • The weekly EC meeting;
  • Meeting with the School of Business faculty regarding a consultant’s report on future directions;
  • Attending the Men’s Soccer tournament game;
  • And a great deal of writing, e-mail and otherwise, and phone calling.

None of that is in any way a complaint (well, it is hard to keep weight off — no smart-aleck replies please).  Indeed, one of the things I love about my job is its endless variety, the mix of external and internal, the big policy questions and the solving of small problems (that can feel like big problems to the individuals concerned).

There are only about 4,000 of these jobs out there and I feel incredibly blessed to wake up in the morning and know I get to do this one.

2 thoughts on “Week in the Life

  1. Kiarra says:

    I think this blog is a great idea and I love getting my emailed updates. I keep looking up the books and authors you mention and I am collecting my own reading list for when I have some down time. : )

    I love getting a chance to see what you are doing and the things you are involved with.

    I can’t wait to read more!

  2. Paul Leblanc says:

    Thanks, Kiarra! I’ve had a lot of nice comments about it so far.

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