Successful grads think long term, says NAU leader

  The most important legacy educators can leave their schools are their commitment to improve the quality of life of students through education, says Northern Arizona University-Yuma's new leader.

  One of the ways schools can improve students' lives is to help them to organize their priorities so they don't get sidetracked from their goal of learning life skills just by earning a living, said Larry Gould, NAU's new campus executive.

  Gould, who grew up in Baton Rouge, La., remembers from experience how easily students can be lured away from their studies.

  "We had oil rigs just off shore where they could make $40 an hour. It's just short-term gratification. But they could easily lose a few fingers. That's why I like bringing education to people, creating access to opportunity."

  To maximize those opportunities, students first need a well-rounded education and the dedication to take the time to attain their degree, he said.

  Gould took over as campus executive officer on Monday, succeeding Krista Rodin, who resigned in order to pursue teaching at NAU in Flagstaff.

  Gould noted he always found Yuma to be a vibrant community. After attending NAU's graduation Friday, he said, Yuma is the place to be.

  "We had about 700 to 800 students at graduation but the stands were full with 4,000 family members. That's just wonderful. That speaks to the commitment of the community."

  Hoping to continue the good work he said has already been done, Gould just finished reviewing a public management program he would like to bring to Yuma. Its aim is establishing master's degrees for public agency management, emergency service administration and administration of justice.

  The intention is to work with current city and county administrators to see what their needs are and if there is something NAU can do that is not already being done, he said. And he would like to reach out to the Marine Corps Air Station and Yuma Proving Ground to form partnerships with the engineering aspects of the bases.

  The sciences are a growing program and this is a discipline where America needs to expand, not just Yuma, he said. But students seem to be a little afraid of science and it's sometimes because an older sibling confessed to a younger student their frustration of overcoming the challenges of scientific studies, he said.

  "We're looking to retool so students are not intimidated by the sciences," Gould said. "The first step is to get more teachers willing to teach at the lower level and then we can just staircase them on up."

  NAU has done an excellent job of outreach to first-generation students, those who are the first in their family to go to a university. Many cannot even contemplate going to a university if they don't know how they are going to get there and live, Gould pointed out. But by bringing NAU to Yuma, the school has solved the first part of the equation, he said.

  "We don't just have teachers but teaching scholars," Gould said. "Some universities hire people to do research and bring in grants but we hire scholars to do research and teach. NAU prides itself on that personalized interaction between faculty and students."

   While studying criminal justice management at Louisiana State University, Gould worked as a campus officer. He later joined the Louisiana State Police, where he worked on the SWAT team, DUI task force and the street crimes unit.

  During that time, he started his master's degree but realized it was difficult to balance work and school, so he resigned from the state police and eventually earned his doctorate in sociology with an emphasis in criminology and inferential statistics.

  Gould joined NAU in 1991. He has served as president of the Arizona Faculties as a nonvoting member of the Board of Regents, worked as the program coordinator of all the bachelor of interdisciplinary studies and of applied sciences, also as the distance education coordinator for the Department of Criminal Justice, and most recently as associate dean of the College of Behavioral Sciences.

  Rodin noted, he has plenty of experience in university administration already.

  "He has a lengthy background in criminal justice," Rodin said. "He'll be working with the advisory board but he'll set his own agenda. He's working in a wonderful community and I hope the community will extend a warm Yuma welcome."

  "Yuma has been very good at supporting NAU," Gould said. "Targeted industries (professions) can help grow our own and keep them here."

  Gould noted, that those who are promoted often find their previous assignment very satisfying but are apprehensive about the next job . Yet he is looking forward to his new position and as long as he can help students, he is extremely happy, he said.

  If he had one thing to tell students, it is to think in the long term, Gould stressed. When students graduate high school they frequently think they want to get a car and their own apartment. But what they really need to think about is what they want to be at 30, he cautioned.

  "You need to prepare yourself for that because it starts out in high school and carries you though college and graduate school. Education is that ladder to success."