New Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor Richard Lariviere

New Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor Richard Lariviere took office this summer. "The great thing about working at a place like KU is that every day each one of us contributes to one of the loftiest callings in history – creating new knowledge and sharing it with our students and the world," Lariviere said. As he begins his first academic year at KU, he took time to answer questions submitted from around campus. Lariviere discussed his goals as provost, his opinion on the importance of KU alumni, and how he feels about KU's relationship with Kansas state leadership.

At the end of the week, after continuing the tradition of excellence at KU, what do you do to kick back?

I haven't really had much time to kick back since we arrived in Lawrence. When we do get a little time, (wife) Jan and I enjoy being outdoors. We are looking forward to doing some fishing in Kansas.

Five years from now, what do you hope will be your top two accomplishments as provost?

If KU has a truly first-class information technology infrastructure, has a new, effective admissions regime that only admits students capable of succeeding here (but looks at more than test scores and GPA for evidence) and understands its rightful role in the national and international research arena five years from now, I will be a happy provost.

What have you learned from our alumni?

I have learned that they are passionate about KU, and that they care deeply about what happens on the campus and especially in the classroom. I have learned that they are generous and committed to raising KU's profile nationally. I have also learned that there are a lot of them!

Are you planning to have a prominent role in fundraising, and if so, what might that look like?

Private funding is the margin of excellence for KU. The alumni base is strong and generous. I will do whatever I can to help them to understand how their giving makes the difference to our future.

What is the biggest challenge at KU and how will you address it?

It is still early for me to give a definitive answer to this question, but one thing that strikes me repeatedly is how much better this place is than the KU community appreciates. This is a world-class university with research programs that are internationally famous. We need to be a little less self-effacing about who we are.

Do you foresee the development of a new strategic plan, including clear goals and objectives, for the University?

One of the reasons that I took this job was to be able to work with – and learn from – Bob Hemenway. When I took this job, I got congratulatory notes from a number of people who commented on how lucky I would be to work with a person whose reputation among his peers is so high. His understanding of KU and its place in higher education is completely coincident with mine. As for the goal and the plan – there isn't much that is new or unclear: The goal is to be the best university that we can be. The strategic plan is to hire the finest faculty possible and give them what they need to succeed.

Read a full text version of the question and answer section.

Lariviere also discussed many of the same issues and topics when he addressed KU faculty and staff at the convocation ceremony. Read Lariviere's convocation speech.