Proud Past Christ-Centered Mission Strategic Future - Wisconsin ...

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ALUMNI WLHS ‘59 DR. ALAN MERTEN Retired President of George Mason University SPOTLIGHT George Mason University occupies more than 160 structures spread over three campuses <strong>Past</strong>or Ken Fisher sat down with Dr. Alan Merten, a member of the WLHS Hall of Fame who recently retired as president of George Mason University (GMU), to discuss his highly successful career in government and higher education, and how his time at <strong>Wisconsin</strong> Lutheran High School (WLHS) helped prepare him for a success-filled life. Learn about his hands-on approach to people-centered administration, marriage, family, and leadership in the following interview. GEORGE MASON YEARS FISHER: “When you became the president of GMU in 1996, there were about 20,000 students. Today the school has grown to be Virginia’s largest university with over 33,000 and the budget has grown from $200 million annually to over $900 million. What would you describe as the most important factors for achieving this growth” MERTEN: “First, I made sure I had the stamina for the job. It is seven days a week. Secondly, I had a passion for the responsibilities that I had. Thirdly, I really cared about the faculty, students, staff, and community. When I was selected to be the leader at George Mason I assembled a staff of people over the years who provided leadership for what they were interested in. We made progress no matter what happened — whether times were good or bad. Also, we quickly developed four themes that were important factors: 1. Be innovative and entrepreneurial to do things that most universities don’t do — take chances. 2. Take advantage of assets — people, programs, and facilities that were already at GMU. 3. Build on strengths. We identified what we were good at and built on those. 4. Market ourselves. The fact that people heard so much about GMU wasn’t accidental. We felt that it was part of what made us different. Marketing not only built up our image, but it made the people who were making a difference at GMU feel good.” Over the course of his tenure, Merten oversaw 125 building projects at GMU. In the President’s mansion, Merten marked the milestones of his grandchildren’s growth on the inside of a closet – each with a date. When he retired, the university surprised him by removing that board from the closet and making a memorial that synched the charting of his grandchildren’s growth with the timeline of the building projects 6 CONTACT Fall 2012
Alan Merten with his wife Sally Merten FISHER: “Growth doesn’t always happen at the pace we’d like. There are usually ups and downs. What was one of your low points What did it teach you” MERTEN: “I learned a long time ago not to get too high or too low. When things were going well, I learned to take advantage of that and to make a difference. When things weren’t going so well, we just kept going. My mother taught me ‘Don’t sit there. Do something.’ But I also learned: don’t just do something. Sit there. Sometimes people wanted immediate action and I said, ‘Just let’s wait.’ It is knowing when to act and how to act and when not to act.” FISHER: “Many have observed that one of the keys of your leadership success is knowing everyone from the janitor to sought-after top professors. You are known for having an understanding of people and asking everyone to work together in an organization. Explain your thoughts.” MERTEN: “’People don’t know how you know until they know how much you care.’ I’ve used that as a theme throughout all of my administrative activities. For 16 years I helped with freshman move-in wearing a t-shirt that says ‘Alan Merten. President of GMU.’ The look on people’s faces when a car would drive up was amazement. That story went all over the place. ‘He helps with freshman move-in.’ I did it because I thought it would send a message that we cared. When a dean would call me and say that they were trying to hire such and such professor, I would call the person, ‘Hi, I am Alan Merten president of George Mason…’ and the phone would go dead. I’d say, ‘I understand that we are interested in having you come to GMU. I am interested in you coming to GMU as well.’ I learned over the years that people would say that one of the main reasons they came was that I called them. When one of our basketball players would be interviewed and asked why they came to GMU, they’d reply, ‘Great university, great program, great coach, and when I interviewed I met the president.’ I tried to meet with every basketball recruit and their mother and father. My wife and I have probably attended every summer picnic and holiday party for the plumbers, electricians, etc. We get invited and we go. We have a great time. I was walking across campus the other day and one of the construction workers shouted, ‘Thank you for your service.’ Now I have no idea who that came from. Someone saw me and wanted to take advantage of that. It is the touch that counts. It’s all about the people.” FISHER: “After 16 years at the helm, you have retired — at least you’ve moved to a new phase. What do you want your legacy at GMU to be” MERTEN: “I want my legacy to be built around the fact that I created an entrepreneurial university. I learned how to take advantage of location. I built on strengths and I realized the importance of telling the story. Whatever new things happen at the university, I hope that those four things will continue. I strongly believe that if you lose one of those, you could unwind what we did. I hope that the way we did things was as important as what we did — our style. We did something special here. I hope my legacy is the culture we created.” LEADERSHIP AND CHANGE FISHER: “What’s your definition of leadership” MERTEN: “Leadership consists of having goals and a vision. You have to have skills to get people to get things done — both what they want to do and some things that they don’t. Leadership is a balance between high tech and high touch. You’ve got to have the technological knowledge and the ‘warm and fuzzy’ abilities.” FISHER: “How do you define ‘success’ in life and professionally” MERTEN: “Much of success in life is balance. I have been married 45 years. I am a busy person but I had lunch with my wife today and played with my grandsons today. I reject this myth that to succeed professionally you have to pay a price personally. I made it clear as an administrator that if you asked me to work in the evening without my wife, the likelihood of me working was low. If Sally was invited, it was much higher. We didn’t want to lead two separate lives. I could never have done what I did without her. She is my confidant.” CONTACT Fall 2012 7
Page 1 and 2: Fall 2012 Alumni & Friends Magazine
Page 3 and 4: In This Issue ALUMNUS ALAN MERTEN,
Page 5: The Strategic Ministry Planning Com
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Page 11 and 12: I Remember When ... by Jamie (Johns
Page 13 and 14: Stephanie (Szymanski) (’02) Hanso
Page 15 and 16: WLHS ACTIVITIES SUCCESSFUL FALL DRA

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