Alan Merten grew up in Milwaukee as the son of a shoe repairman with two years of high school. But his parents strove to put him through college, and today Merten, 67, is the president of George Mason University. He uses his personal story to inspire the many first-generation Americans and college students who attend his school, recently ranked the top “up-and-coming national university” by U.S. News and World Report. He sat down with The Examiner to share the faith and ideas that guide him.
Do you consider yourself to be of a specific faith? Since my childhood, I’ve been a member of the Lutheran church. I’ve attended Lutheran churches of all stripes but have found over the years that the leadership and beliefs of the pastors and parishioners are generally similar to mine in that they have a social agenda, but not exclusively a social agenda; a biblically based set of beliefs, but the recognition that part of being a Christian isn’t described in detail in the Bible; a belief in the Bible but an understanding that the times have changed, so we ask ourselves how to interpret the Bible today with respect to the time in which it was written. Does society have an obligation to provide higher education to anyone who wants it? A college degree has two sets of benefits. Some are to the individual and some are to society. I think a situation in which the cost of higher education is assumed by both the individual and the general society — the taxpayer — is the best. You want to make it possible for a large number of students to attend. If tuition gets too high and aid gets too low, then quality people won’t be able to go to college. If tuition is too low, then students and families don’t feel the same level of commitment. Should higher education be school systems’ ultimate goal for every student? I don’t think everyone should go to college. We should have, in our K-12 system, the ability to educate and train people to go to college, but we should also prepare those who, for whatever reason — whether interest level or ability — should not go to college. There are many cases where someone should go to community college for two years. Not everyone needs four years, but more and more everyone needs two. What is the most important thing for your students to take with them when they leave George Mason? The first thing is an ability to continue to learn. Secondly, that they leave with an understanding of self and of others, particularly those who are different from them. We have students from 140 countries. I tell students that, while they’re here, get to know someone from as many countries as they can. Third, an ability to assess themselves and to be honest with themselves about what they’re good at not so good at, and use that as a way to decide how to proceed. And I hope students can have a sort of pride. Too much isn’t any good — but pride to be able to accomplish something. I urge students get involved in something outside of the classroom, make something happen, and be proud of yourself. At your core, what is one of your defining beliefs? There are several one-liners that really drive me. First, people don’t care how much you know until they know about how much you care. In higher education, there are lots and lots of smart people, but I hope I’m a person who people realize cares — about them, about the institution, about their families, the community. I know a lot, too, but hopefully the front door is always the caring part. And I’ve also said over the years that what gets measured gets better. If you want to improve something, measure it. But then I heard the following statement: What really counts is difficult to count — your family, your faith, your relationships. So I’ve come to see my job as a combination of the two: I want to measure things, and to be concerned about that, but I don’t want to lose the idea that what really counts can’t be measured.
– Leah Fabel
