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Emory University President James Wagner led his final commencement ceremony on Monday. Wagner announced in September that he would step down at the end of August after leading the Atlanta institution for 13 years. Wagner said he does not plan to take another position as president at another institution. He and his wife plan to relocate to Hilton Head, S.C., where they own a home, to be "out of sight" from the Atlanta area.
We talked with Wagner about some of successes at Emory, missteps during his tenure, his hopes for the university and plans for his future. Some of the responses have been edited for length.
Q: What are some areas in which Emory may expand under a new president?
A: There is the possibility that Emory needs to take a close examination in what it offers in the areas of technology, and possibly seek out more opportunities for national science funding in areas such as physics. Should Emory reconsider it's global presence, with building its national campuses, instead of partnering with universities in other countries? Maybe a new person says this is the time to do that now.
Q: Emory was under a national microscope with demands from its black students during Black Lives Matter actions, and more recently for chalk messages found around campus reading “Trump 2016.” Students in both situations made demands of campus administrators. Prior to those incidents, were you aware of those social issues on Emory’s campus?
A: While it is wrong, it is true, that when any of us are not directly affected by something we need reminders. With the chalkings: Students protested, I listened as best I could, I learned that there was genuine hurt. I wrote that this was genuine, that Emory stands for free expression and listed some of the things underway already on campus because of the Black Lives Matter movement. Ultimately we had people wrestle with the reality that there is no such thing as free expression unless you take everybody into the conversation. That's where Emory ended up, but it took a couple of painful weeks for us to get there.
Q: What are your most important highlights for Emory under your tenure; low lights?
A: Very proud of some of the things Emory has done around ethics. Emory hosted the first global conference on bioethics last year. The institution has become a destination institution for students and faculty. Emory has also increased its national standing in that it has moved from being referenced nationally as a five-word title," Emory University in Atlanta, GA," to a one-word name, Emory.
One of the low points would be when we had to implement layoffs during the economic downturn. Lowest point for me is whenever I personally have embarrassed the institution by using the Three-Fifths Compromise as an example. I’ve learned the difference between asking forgiveness and asking to be excused. This is something for which there was no excuse. It came out of a level of cultural incompetency that I still work to improve and it was wrong to do and I asked to be forgiven, and regret the embarrassment it caused the institution. I think my relationship with the Emory community has healed, but forgiveness is not forgotten. It did happen. I’m grateful to have been forgiven but comfortable that it’s a lesson that I and Emory must not forget.
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