Bradley University announced an alumnus and sports law expert as its 11th president. Gary Roberts outlined some broad goals for the school, and says he’s looking for input.
Roberts graduated from Bradley in 1970. He founded the first sports law school program at Tulane University and is currently dean emeritus of the McKinney School of Law at Indiana University. He joins Bradley at a time the school faces enrollment challenges and budget cuts. Roberts says Bradley needs to market itself better, keep campus safety as a top priority and change attitudes to promote diversity:
“Bradley needs to make changes to bend with the wind as the times change. We cannot simply accept the status quo. And yet, we cannot and should never compromise our integrity or our core values or our mission.”
Roberts says he doesn’t immediately know all the answers to best tackle enrollment issues, but says he’s open to collaboration with staff and getting input. He says he doesn’t come to Bradley with a pre-determined agenda, but says there are some broad changes that the University can make going forward.
“We just need to market more effectively. I think the world doesn’t know enough about the quality we’ve got here, this gem that we’ve got here.”
Roberts also says he wants to build more bridges with Bradley's alumni and the Peoria community. He officially takes the helm January first. Former Bradley president Joanne Glasser stepped down at the end of May. Doctor Stan Liberty was then selected to serve in an interim role.