I think I have a crush on the provost

Historically, a provost was a dungeon and the prisoners who occupied that dungeon starting calling the warden the provost. In the 11^th century, provosts collected revenues, taxes and duties owed to the King and were responsible for military defense.

This guy, Dr. Ron Toll, Florida Gulf Coast University’s provost, did not look like a warden, tax collector or military commissioner. He looked relaxed and approachable wearing khakis, a Hawaiian shirt, jacket and no tie.

In fact, he sort of reminded me of an expat I once shot pool with in a Costa Rican bar. It was almost as if Dr. Toll’s real gig was hanging out on a sailboat rather than being 2^nd in command for a major university.

Because our doctoral cohort is comprised of grad students who want to be in leadership positions at the college level, he had come to chat with us about his job and how he got to be the provost.  We sat, our desks in a circle formation, and he began to ask us questions at first, which he said would shape his discourse with us.

Not full of himself at all, a rare quality I like most in a leader, he was completely unpretentious and engaged us in conversation the moment he walked into the room. I don’t think I was the only one with a crush on this man, I suspect the other women in the room, and a couple of the guys, were enamored as well.

Just like long ago, provosts today wear many hats and Dr. Toll explained to us he wears three: provost, vice president of academic affairs, and the position he says he is most proud of, faculty member in the biology department.  Being a faculty member, he said has enabled him to maintain the perspective of teacher in his position as provost.  Looking through an empathic lens is another dreamy leadership quality this man possesses.

He laughed when he talked about being from New Jersey and relocating to Tennessee to teach biology at a very well respected Liberal Arts college, University of South Tennessee, and how he was only one of two Jews in the whole town.  He candidly expressed his gratitude for the experiences he and his family gained by living in the small town of Sewanee, Tennessee. He infused his story with anecdotes of his wife and kids – beloved characters in his journey.

He was self-deprecating when talking about his leadership positions at other universities including dean and vice president of academic affairs at Lebanon University in Pennsylvania. He chuckled when saying, “I got the job as FGCU provost because I had the best resume in a shallow pool of applicants.”

But we all knew better.  He never once mentioned he is widely published in professional journals and periodicals or that his work as provost has taken FGCU from a small school in the swamp of SW Florida to a major player in the Florida university system.

He did emphasize over and over again one of his main objectives as provost is to protect the integrity of academic programs at FGCU. Regarding academic integrity he said, “there are people who think they can replace a University with 10,000 tablets or laptops.” He went on to say virtual education is an important part of the learning process at FGCU and he respects that approach. “Face-to-face learning, like we were having right now, in this room, together, is just as important.” His job is to be committed to both.

He answered every single question we had. Someone asked if it is necessary to relocate when seeking a leadership position in higher education.  To this he gave the advice, “if you are going to be marketable as a higher ed leader, you have to have experiences at different universities; so relocating is just part of the job.”

As soon as I got the chance I asked, “What are some of your colossal failures as a leader?”

He waited a moment and then said, “How much time do you have?”

I said, “plenty.”

He began to describe how his idealism had sometimes gotten the best of him and how people did not respond to it the way he thought they would. He said, “There are no standing ovations, and when you turn around to see who is behind you, no one’s there.”

Early on as provost of FGCU he had little understanding of political capital, which is a type of invisible currency politicians use to impact change and policy reform. Political capital is extremely difficult to acquire and must be spent wisely. He gained a little of it early on as provost but he spent it right away. He soon realized it wasn’t going to be easy to replenish the account. He later learned because Higher Education is the most regulated industry in this country, without political capital a leader cannot make changes necessary to move a university forward.

He had failures regarding his health and wellness. He wasn’t sleeping or eating well because he was fixated on the fact that his decisions may cause what he called heat. He went on to say, “If there’s heat, there’s heat. I found out obsessing about it only makes it worse.”

By the end of our time together, I had a pretty good understanding of what this guy does. He makes sure all the academic programs at FGCU are aligned to the vision of the school; he builds relationships with students, faculty members and community, and he uses his charm to gain political capital so he can impact the necessary changes in his institution.  Oh, and he goes to all the social functions the President of the University doesn’t want to attend.

Too often we see insecure and defensive leaders using fear and intimidation to manage people. Dr. Toll showed us that leadership is about how you make people feel when they’re in your presence.  That evening I, along with my other colleagues, were feeling pretty good in the provost’s presence, captivated by his charming personality, his interest in what we had to say, and his willingness to be honest.  I will speak for myself, but I am sure others will agree, if there were a Tiger Beat magazine for Ed Leadership, he’d be on the cover.