The Gatepost Editorial Board
As Framingham State begins its 175th anniversary year, we have much to celebrate. In the past few years, our campus has added a new dorm and expanded the cafeteria. Now, it is building a new $74 million science wing.
This year, the Board of Trustees hired a new leader to bring our university to the next level. The Board of Higher Education approved Dr. F. Javier Cevallos to be FSU’s 16th president.
We at The Gatepost have been keeping the campus informed for 83 years, and we’ve gotten to know some of FSU’s presidents pretty well. And others, well, not so much.
It certainly wasn’t the easiest task to schedule an interview with President Timothy Flanagan. Thankfully, Interim President Robert Martin has been more than willing to meet with representatives of the student press so we can provide important information to the FSU community.
We hope Cevallos will also make communication a priority.
It is especially necessary for the well being of this university that our new president make himself available to his students.
We appreciate that Cevallos is willing to give his personal email to students so they can contact him about anything. We hope he gets to know Framingham State’s students as well as he got to know those at Kutztown University.
FSU is a close-knit community, and Cevallos should get to know the familiar faces he’ll see on a daily basis.
In his interview with The Gatepost, Cevallos maintained that during his time as president at Kutztown University, one of his main focuses was campus diversity. We at The Gatepost have been strong advocates for the Multicultural Center and improving campus diversity. We hope he strives to make FSU more culturally aware and promotes interest in the programs the Multicultural Center provides.
We at The Gatepost imagine our 16th president as someone who wants to make a positive impact – continuing traditions while also introducing new ways for the community to learn and grow. Whether that means attending college sporting events, taking the time to support student groups or inviting noteworthy – even controversial – speakers to campus, he should play an integral role in campus life.
We at The Gatepost are proud the Board of Trustees selected a candidate in whom they see qualities from which the campus can bene[t: a strong, confident leader and someone who can bring positive change to FSU. However, it is important for our new leader to acknowledge the centuries-old traditions of this institution and its history in higher education, such as our role as the first teaching school in America.
Our last and most important hope for Cevallos and his presidency is to maintain the atmosphere Interim President Martin has established on campus. As interim president, Martin has brought the community together and strengthened the administration’s relationship with students. He has been a consistent participant in community events and is always engaging with the community on a personal level.
Ultimately, we hope Cevallos will support our growing campus community as it changes. We at The Gatepost would like to see a well-rounded leader who is driven to be the best president for FSU’s students, faculty, staff, alumni and community in the school’s history.