One SIUC chancellor candidate says his openness with students, faculty and administrators gives him the ability to improve an institution by incorporating multiple views in his decisions.

Frederick Dobney is the executive vice president and provost at Michigan Technological University. He will answer questions during faculty, student and staff forums today and tomorrow. He is the third of four finalists for the chancellor position to visit SIU.

Dobney said his history of boosting institutional morale is a result of his dedication to his job and would benefit SIUC if he was named to the chancellor position.

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I never had a job where I left an institution without improving it, he said. My attitude toward shared governance and communication always leaves a university with a positive outlook.

Dobney operates by what he calls the single-neck theory, which means that even though his decisions involve diverse input, he is the individual who takes responsibility for the outcome. When he is working on a particular issue, he organizes talks with many constituency groups on campus. He said his candor reassures those who are apprehensive about the outcome of a decision.

When you let people assume, they often assume a worst-case scenario, he said. You are best off if you tell them the truth.

Although Dobney is not a union man, he is willing to work with SIUC’s Faculty Association.

My view is that it is really too bad the faculty felt it was necessary to unionize. But I was looking at the accreditation report from 1988-1989 and not a lot of progress has been made since then, so I understand their frustration, he said.

He also said a university should embrace its surrounding community.

An institution can’t afford to segregate itself from the city, he said. If the school doesn’t work with the city, then it really can’t complain when things don’t go they way they planned.

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As an administrator, Dobney said he has spent more time working at each new position than the last, which has left little time for hobbies.

I usually work 60 to 70 hours a week, he said. I used to coach tennis for St. Louis University, which was a lot of fun.

He gave up tennis after his third knee surgery. He now spends the little spare time he has running on a treadmill, watching movies or listening to classic rock.

He plans to retain SIUC’s optimism and pride and work to solve problems on campus as they occur.

I want to make people happy to be a part of SIU, he said. It is imperative to provide some leadership in that area.