Newly Inaugurated Guilford College President Cautions Against "Safe and Status Quo"

Vowing to "confront formidable challenges" facing one of the nation's leading small, liberal arts colleges, Kent John Chabotar was inaugurated as the eighth president at Guilford College on April 11. The college is the third-oldest co-ed higher education institution in the United States.

A New York City native, Chabotar had served since 1991 as vice president for finance and administration and treasurer at Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine. He began his term at Guilford July 1, 2002.

In remarks during an inauguration ceremony on the Guilford College campus, Chabotar applauded "the righteous pride that this college has accumulated for almost two centuries." Crediting Guilford's heritage as an institution founded by the Religious Society of Friends, or Quakers, Chabotar said, "We take pride in standing up for principles that might have been right but frequently have been unpopular.

"We are proud to have advocated social justice and promoted tolerance of other faiths and viewpoints. We value the views of everyone in a society that often values command over collaboration. And we are proud to testify for peace and nonviolence."

While acknowledging Guilford's "majestic strengths," Chabotar told the audience of 1,000 in Ragan-Brown Field House - including faculty, staff, students, alumni, trustees and guests - that, "The question now is how we become even better while confronting challenges that float like mines."

Chabotar said he will address challenges with goals "that are truly transformational and a little risky. I'd rather engage in intelligent risk-taking than settle for the safe and the status quo," he said. He said priorities are to add full-time faculty, refocus a curriculum that has become "too spread out" and reaffirm a commitment to research.

Chabotar also suggested that the college increase student enrollment, which could reach an all-time high of 2,000 next fall. "Why not welcome 3,000 students to Guilford College?" Chabotar asked. He said a student body of 3,000 would enrich educational experiences and improve economic efficiencies, while leaving Guilford small enough to retain the "fantastic student-teacher interactions that large state and research universities cannot match."

The final goal Chabotar outlined is to achieve financial stability. He said the college must reduce debt, refrain from borrowing for new buildings, and balance its $40 million annual budget while minimizing use of endowment funds. "Financial stability means we need a strategic plan accompanied by a viable long-range plan to pay for it," Chabotar said.

April 11, 2003