President Lynne Murray met with media from the area today to talk about her hopes and potential roadblocks at Baker University.

Murray and the journalists took a tour of the most historic parts of campus, including the Osborne Chapel and Parmenter Hall, as she talked about what she believes to be the biggest obstacles she will have to overcome as the university’s new president.

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“I think the greatest challenges facing Baker right now are so much of those facing liberal arts colleges across the country. And they do include creating a sustainable resource base and also being flexible enough as an institution to respond to the growing needs and demands of a global society,” Murray said.

Murray went on to say that each of the campuses presents its own challenges. She says a challenge for the undergraduate campus is preparing students for societal changes that the university can’t predict.

For the professional programs, Murray hopes Baker courses allow adults to better themselves quickly enough to keep pace with workplace changes.

“That’s the greatest challenge, being flexible and being flexible quick enough while still maintaining academic standards that make Baker what it is,” Murray said.

Murray is still transitioning into her role as president. She moved in to Collins House a week ago but is still waiting for her husband to drive up with their U-Haul and two poodles.

She says she has been working on some days from 5:30 a.m. to 11:30 p.m., meeting not only the Baker community, but the Baldwin City community as well. She says the community has been very good to her and seems to want to see her succeed.

Murray has also met with former presidents Pat Long and Dan Lambert, both of whom she believes will be strong assets to her presidency. She said she has also met many of the alumni in Missouri and Kansas, hoping to get as much advice as she can.

“Advice, any and all, I’ll take,” Murray said. “Because our alumni base is so large, I’ve met with distinguished alumni who will also be advisers. I’ll have a lot of advisers as I move ahead.”

Because she is a “strong proponent” of shared governance, Murray is excited to be surrounded by so much support and help. She hopes to take what she has learned in past experiences and help Baker grow.

“It feels so good to be here and I’m honored to be here and build my foundation on such strength,” Murray said. “My vision for Baker is to lead us beyond the horizon. I believe that we are in a great place. We have distinguished faculty, the support of our board, and some of the best students in the country.”