By James Brown

VSU’s upcoming Interim President Dr. William Crowe sat down for an interview with The Spectator on Monday November 3 to discuss his strategies and thoughts on his transition to his new position. 

 

While Dr. Crowe is stepping into a big role, it’s not his first rodeo at VSU. He’s confident in his abilities due to the experience he’s already had with South Georgia Regional Impact. 

 

“You know I’ve been here for a while, kind of working part time for Darryl Moore over in the center for South Georgia Regional Impact so… I know my way around just enough to be dangerous,” Dr. Crowe said. 

 

Since October 15, Dr. Crowe has been training under Dr. Crowe so that he can be ready to step up to the plate. So far his training has given him a great amount of insight. 

 

“[Dr. Carvajal] has been great. He’s been very gracious. I think, you know, he loves this place a lot, and I think it’s really hard for him to leave,” Dr. Crowe said. “It’s been nice to have that transition time so he doesn’t leave with all his knowledge.” 

 

Dr. Crowe is very grateful to Dr. Carvajal and for all that he’s done for the university. He hopes that, during his time with him, some of Dr. Cravajal’s experience will rub off. 

 

“I have a chance to pick his brain a little and learn the ropes,” Dr. Crowe said. “So it’s been very good,” 

 

Although he’s worked on campus for a while now, this is the first time he’s worked with Dr. Carvajal one-on-one. 

 

He hopes that his new job will give him a chance to get to know the University’s campus a bit better. 

 

“I’ve been working here for a year and a half or so, kind of on a part-time basis, so my view of the institution’s really narrow,” said Dr. Crowe. “It’s been eye opening to kind of learn what’s going on, to see things, to do different things, and to meet people that I wouldn’t have in my normal chain of life.” 

 

Dr. Crowe made sure to emphasize his role as a transitional guide for whoever comes after him. He hopes to be able to pass on what he learns effectively. 

 

“I think there’s a lot of good things and momentum going on here,” Dr. Crowe said. “Our job is to enhance that and make sure we have a good runway for the new president when he or she gets here to take off.” 

Although the search is on for a new official president, Dr. Crowe doesn’t know of any possible candidates for the position. 

 

“I don’t know that there are any candidates at this point,” Dr. Crowe said. “The search is going to be run by the system office, and I think they’re going to use a search firm to help recruit candidates. I think this will be a really attractive job. VSU has a good reputation for presidents.” 

 

While he has not had a chance to work with many of the students on campus so far, he looks forward to interacting with them in the future. He also responded to demands for more transparency with the student body. 

 

“I think hopefully, between now and January 1, I’ll have even more time to learn what’s going on,” Dr. Crowe said. “I think if the students want more transparency it’d be interesting to know what that entails and how they’d like to get it. I think the more [the president’s office] interacts with students the better.” 

 

Despite becoming the new interim president, Dr. Crowe hails from Texas. He came to Valdosta through family ties. 

 

“Our kids are all in Texas, and we came back to take care of [my wife’s] family to take care of her mother [in Nashville],” Dr. Crowe said. “We decided to live in Valdosta since it’s a bigger place and a little closer to the university.” 

 

The hiring process for the role was actually quite simple according to Dr. Crowe. 

 

“The Chancellor’s Office reached out to me to see if I’d be interested,” Dr. Crowe said. “So the Chancellor and I agreed that this was a good opportunity to move forward. We’ll be full steam ahead for as long as it takes for them to find a new president.” 

 

As of now, Dr. Crowe has no involvement with project VSU 2030 

 

While he looks forward to his new job, he has no plans for taking over as the official president of the institution.