I missed Gregory L. Eastwood's talk this afternoon due to being in class. If you were there: was it worth going to? If so, will there be a video online? (I could only find the live stream.) Otherwise, could someone summarize the important bits?

Photos @ http://www.benchodroff.com/gallery/20060417-Gregory_Eastwood/
Added two of them to http://photos.case.edu

He sounded like an interim president speaking rather than tossing around catch phrases like "the greatest learning environment in the world." He is still learning the issues on campus and was more interested in hearing people out than offering insight on how to fix them. Personally, I think he is taking the best course of action, but it seemed that some members of the audience were restless with this lack of a formal plan.

His priorities include restoring trust and opening communication. When asked how interested he would be in continuing as president beyond this interim term, he joked that there is about as much of a chance of him learning Swahili and reiterated that he is going to make Case an incredibly attractive place for the next Presidential incumbent.

The greatest concerns voiced by the audience were those related to the budget crisis. The faculty and staff are worried about morale during expected layoffs and the students are concerned about program funding cuts. While interim President Eastwood and Provost Anderson assured that student program funding would not be impacted, there are still questions about how faculty and staff will be impacted by the budget cuts. These questions will probably not be addressed until Gregory Eastwood officially begins his term as interim President on June 2nd.

After the official forum, Mr. Eastwood talked with many students on stage.

I was busy taking photos, so I know I am probably missing some points. What did everyone else think?

^can i steal your 20D?

please don't. i would be sad.

For the video/webcast/podcast:
http://www.case.edu/events/webcasts/eastwood/

Ben's summary was good. I got a good vibe from him. What sticks in my head most is that he had a sense of humor. And he's a dead ringer for Leslie Neilsen http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000558/

Trish
Undergrad Admission

I thought he approached the major problems directly (with the information that has been made available to him so far) and did not try to avoid any difficult questions. He seems to be a very approachable and open person.

Brian C. Gray
Head of Reference
Librarian - Engineering, Math, & Statistics
Kelvin Smith Library (http://library.case.edu)
Personal Blog: http://blog.case.edu/bcg8/

*high-fives dog*