27 min
Interview with Michael Rao the President of Virginia Commonwealth University The Innovating Together Podcast
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- Education
Today we’re talking with the president of Virginia Commonwealth University, Dr. Michael Rao. He has been a president since age 28 from community colleges to research universities, with VCU being his fourth presidency. He was always interested in higher education, as he viewed it as a great enabler of the American dream, and he wanted to be a part of that.
Dr. Rao says higher ed collectively isn’t meeting student’s needs. He has been impressed with the enormous leaps forward he sees students making. He sees kids from small towns whose parents didn’t go to college doing things like curing disease or creating innovative solutions for housing problems. Dr. Rao says this is why it’s so important to put in place a warm, welcoming pathway for everybody.
The best colleges aren’t necessarily colleges with the highest SAT scores. What ultimately matters is what you’re doing after college. Dr. Rao remembers a conversation with two young men eight years ago. They asked if college could be less about sitting in a classroom, listening to a talking head, memorizing info, and then regurgitating it. They said they wanted to be more engaged with a sense of why they’re learning what they’re learning and how it will benefit society.
When it comes to preparing for the demands of a university president, Dr. Rao says he likes to know what's coming a few days in advance. He says his daily routine consists of meditation and breathing time. He likes to create a space where nothing can get in, where he can just breathe and connect with his own soul, bringing himself closer to his values. Dr. Rao says there’s a lot of things that can create stress if you let them. With a mission of transforming lives, Dr. Rao says leadership is about organizational movement.
The best advice Dr. Rao says he’s ever been given was by a university president, and that was to not let others control your emotions. He also remembers a late friend that encouraged him to delegate more, to focus on the future, and to focus on his unique value. Dr. Rao admits he used to try and do it all himself, but in her honor, he’s tried to follow her advice more.
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Welcome to innovating together, a podcast produced by the University Innovation Alliance. This is a podcast for busy people in higher education who are looking for the “aha moments” that can propel their work forward. Innovating Together curates the best insights, research, and experts. To connect with us further, visit www.theuia.org.
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Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/innovationalliance/message
Today we’re talking with the president of Virginia Commonwealth University, Dr. Michael Rao. He has been a president since age 28 from community colleges to research universities, with VCU being his fourth presidency. He was always interested in higher education, as he viewed it as a great enabler of the American dream, and he wanted to be a part of that.
Dr. Rao says higher ed collectively isn’t meeting student’s needs. He has been impressed with the enormous leaps forward he sees students making. He sees kids from small towns whose parents didn’t go to college doing things like curing disease or creating innovative solutions for housing problems. Dr. Rao says this is why it’s so important to put in place a warm, welcoming pathway for everybody.
The best colleges aren’t necessarily colleges with the highest SAT scores. What ultimately matters is what you’re doing after college. Dr. Rao remembers a conversation with two young men eight years ago. They asked if college could be less about sitting in a classroom, listening to a talking head, memorizing info, and then regurgitating it. They said they wanted to be more engaged with a sense of why they’re learning what they’re learning and how it will benefit society.
When it comes to preparing for the demands of a university president, Dr. Rao says he likes to know what's coming a few days in advance. He says his daily routine consists of meditation and breathing time. He likes to create a space where nothing can get in, where he can just breathe and connect with his own soul, bringing himself closer to his values. Dr. Rao says there’s a lot of things that can create stress if you let them. With a mission of transforming lives, Dr. Rao says leadership is about organizational movement.
The best advice Dr. Rao says he’s ever been given was by a university president, and that was to not let others control your emotions. He also remembers a late friend that encouraged him to delegate more, to focus on the future, and to focus on his unique value. Dr. Rao admits he used to try and do it all himself, but in her honor, he’s tried to follow her advice more.
--
Welcome to innovating together, a podcast produced by the University Innovation Alliance. This is a podcast for busy people in higher education who are looking for the “aha moments” that can propel their work forward. Innovating Together curates the best insights, research, and experts. To connect with us further, visit www.theuia.org.
---
Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/innovationalliance/message
27 min