First of all, let me say "thank you" to all Statewide employees for the very warm welcome I have received at every turn. Mark told me that one of the great professional rewards of the job was the enjoyment of working with a great System staff, and that is a high compliment.

Now, it's entirely normal for many people to wonder what the new guy's "priorities" are going to be, which is fancy talk for "uh-oh...what changes are coming?" My primary interest right now is preserving all the things we're doing right, and that's presently a full-time job.

I want to get to know as many of you as I can, learn from you where we are in serving our mission and where you think I can help you do your job better. Once we get past that point, I can use those inputs as a foundation from which to work on one of the Board of Regents' first major taskings, which is to update the UA System's Strategic Plan. That entails a collaborative process that extends out to you all throughout our MAUs and into all corners of governance.

In the meantime, sitting in my first few weeks as president can only be described as the fire hose-sponge treatment. I've been hit by the deluge and I'm soaking it all up. It's great, and I love it here!

It's an honor to serve with you.

Pat Gamble