When a young Scott Green spent his childhood trailing his grandfather — the University of Idaho athletic director at the time — around Memorial Gym, he never dreamed of working for an international law firm.
“If you would have told me when I graduated college that I would have ever even worked for a law firm, I wouldn’t have believed you,” Green said. “I was just glad to graduate at the time — get a job and start earning some money. My ambitions were pretty low.”
While the Idaho-native never imagined becoming the global chief operating and financial officer for such a large company, the idea of becoming a university president was just as far out of reach when he was young. But in just over two months, Green, 57, will take on the role he never thought he would fill — the role of UI’s 19th president.
Out of four candidates, Green was voted into the presidency unanimously by the Idaho State Board of Education April 11.
Green and his wife, Gabriella, will make the long drive from New York City to Moscow before officially beginning his three-year contract July 1.
And in the time between now and his first day on the job, Green said he will continue learning about the finer details of being UI’s president — university finances and individual colleges and departments.
“Fortunately, I’ve got a lot of support and relationships within the university, including president (Chuck) Staben,” Green said. “He has really helped direct me to things I need to focus on before I start.”
For Green, the biggest takeaway from his time as a financial officer of international law firm Hogan Lovells is his ability to build strong partnerships.
“I think I bring management tools that are useful in running complex institutions with the experience of my governing style, through consensus,” Green said.
As many people at UI are wondering what changes they can expect from a new president, Green said there are many issues to address immediately while others will take some time.
Too soon to propose any major changes to university structure and strategy, Green said he is still learning about the strengths and weaknesses of the current administration’s efforts.
As for the university’s current Strategic Plan, Green said he is open to building off the plan already set forth by Staben and administrators.
“I don’t want to change the strategy. But I do want to know what needs to be approved,” Green said. “I’m still listening and learning.”
In addition to making possible improvements to the Strategic Plan, Green said he would like to make the plan more accessible for students, faculty and staff to understand.
Through groups of students, community members, alumni and faculty, Green said he hopes to address issues the president might not directly see with the plan.
“It’s hard to get your head around. I read it a few times, before finally getting my head around it,” Green said. “It’s important that we have a document that people can read and understand.”
A more immediate change will be filling the role of athletic director. The grandson of an athletic director, Green said he knows the importance of a strong athletic program and would like to get the search for a more permanent director underway soon.
“We need to take care of our student athletes,” Green said. “That has been made clear to us.”With new university presidents taking to other Idaho universities, Green said he is excited to work with other Idaho institutions and their leaders.
“If you have a kid who grows up in one of our extension programs and goes to a different school in the state, we should still be proud of that — that’s a win,” Green said. “It’s a win for university and education and a win for that student that chose to go on. I think the four university presidents would all agree on that.”
While creating relationships with students, faculty and staff on campus and at other campuses, Green said he looks to cultivate stronger ties with an influential part of the university people don’t always see. The Idaho State Board of Education, Green said, is one of the most important relationships for the university to keep strong.
“We have a lot of opportunity here. The State Board relationship is one we really need to develop and pay a lot of attention to,” Green said. “I don’t know that we’ve done a great job of that in the past.”
The goal for any presidency, Green said, is to get the community energized about their university — to share the story of the university.
“I’ve got a strong and long personal university and I know where we came from,” Green said. “I think that’s a strength of mine. And I think the university helped formed that strength.”
Hailey Stewart can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @HaileyAStew