Richard Ringeisen sees The University of Memphis as currently being at an interesting place in its history. If awarded the job as the 11th president of The University, Ringeisen said he would look forward to the challenges.
"This is an absolute fantastic University, and it has the opportunity to be a greater place," he said.
The 56-year-old vice chancellor for Academic Affairs at East Carolina University was the third of three finalists for the job of U of M president to come and visit the campus. He met Wednesday with administrators, faculty, students and alumni groups, as well as with legislators who represent The University.
Ringeisen told students the reason he wants to be president is because he likes being at a university and likes being around students.
At his current job at ECU, Ringeisen said he is not able to interact with students as much as he would like, and he misses this type of interaction. However, as president of The U of M, Ringeisen said he hopes to establish an open relationship with the students. He said he wants to personally show a commitment to them and hopes to be able to interact with them on a regular basis.
"Before I do anything, I like to ask, "How is what I am doing beneficial for students," Ringeisen said.
If he were to become the new president, one of his first plans would be to create a task force concerning the future of The University, he said. It would be essential, he added, to set careful goals and to determine what would be most important at The U of M.
"I think we should take a hard look at where we are and where we want to go," Ringeisen said.
Ringeisen feels within six months, the task force would know exactly where The University is going.
Additionally, fundraising is an important aspect of the job that The University president must deal with. Ringeisen has been a successful fund-raiser in his earlier jobs and said he is confident that he can do especially well in this department at The U of M.
Ringeisen said fundraising is basically getting to know people and telling them what wonderful things are going on. He feels that in order to increase funds, the citizens of Memphis need to understand how important The University is for the community and how important the community is for The University. Ringeisen said fundraising is an important part of the education process, and he said he is certain it is something at which he excels.
"I believe that for this aspect of the job, a president needs to be a very good salesman, in the very best connotation of that word," Ringeisen wrote in his resume. "This particular feature is a quality that I have always possessed, and I am extremely confident in my abilities to succeed at it."
Regarding the support of many of the faculty for interim president Ralph Faudree and their unhappiness that he was not selected as a presidential finalist, Ringeisen said he has always tried to be someone who brings people together.
"I have known Ralph Faudree for a long time, and I have high regard for him," Ringeisen said. "I hope The University is able to take full advantage of his skills. The faculty and I definitely would not disagree on his great abilities."
Ringeisen said he is aware of the challenges that will come if he is given the job of president, and would be ready to embark on each and every one of them.
"I want to have fun at my next job," he said. "I want to be able to look back and say 'I had fun today.'"
Lisa Holt, administrative assistant for Enrollment Services, said she was struck by Ringeisen?s sincerity in his interviews and his great amount of knowledge about The University of Memphis.
"Of the three finalists in our presidential search, I am hoping Dr. Ringeisen will be offered the position," Holt said. "His background, experience, attitude and overall know-how are best suited for the job. I also have a personal admiration for anyone who can make sense of chemistry and sophisticated math."
Doris Stepp, director of Enrollment Systems, said she felt Ringeisen addressed very important issues in his meeting with the staff and was encouraged by many of his ideas and beliefs.
"I like that he is a very caring person. I feel that it is important that the president is caring of the people," Stepp said. "He is a very personable person and easy to approach. I felt that he got across to the audience better than the other candidates."
The presidential search committee plans to recommend a candidate to Charles Manning, chancellor of the Tennessee Board of Regents, after the completion of the campus visits.
