The State News Editorial Board sat down with MSU Board of Trustees Republican candidate Scott Schultz at his request Friday afternoon to discuss his aspirations as a potential trustee member.
With a Bachelor of Arts from the MSU School of Journalism in 1979, a published how-to guide to closed-end funds and a track record of financial successes, Schultz appears dedicated both to the university and financial stability.
Schultz is the self-proclaimed underdog in this election, running for two open positions against Melanie Foster, Jeff Sakwa and Rick Johnson. The other candidates were invited for a debate hosted by The State News, at Schultz’s suggestion, but sent either their regrets or no reply at all.
And that’s what sets Schultz apart — he is incredibly student-oriented and puts what he believes is best for students above all else.
“I’m coming to shake things up,” he said during the interview.
And shake up he will, if elected. Schultz is a successful businessman, boasting 30 years of investment experience. Much of the Board of Trustees is composed of business-minded individuals, but Schultz has a different business plan in mind for MSU.
This is evident most clearly in his promise to never vote in favor of a tuition or room and board increase, if elected — a daring move, considering several unanimous votes in favor of raising costs for the past several years.
As a newspaper composed entirely of students, it only makes sense that this Editorial Board backs Schultz when it comes to freezing tuition to find a better solution to fund MSU. We understand that tuition raises are necessary in some cases, but the price tag for higher education has gotten out of control.
Schultz also wants to change the curriculum to offer basic courses during the first two years and offer online courses at a lower cost, citing a Georgia Tech online master’s degree in engineering that costs $7,000 as his inspiration.
In theory, this seems like a valid idea. But offering online sections of classes at cheaper rates than their lecture-hall counterparts would lead to an influx of students signing up solely online. The re-structuring and cost change of online classes would have to be done incredibly meticulously in order to save students money without collapsing on itself.
He wants to bring a non-voting, student seat to the Board of Trustees so that our voices can be heard, and if elected he would set up office hours to listen to what students have to say.
This is especially refreshing after Board of Trustees chairperson Joel Ferguson’s unfortunate comments against student activism last April.
One of Schultz’s main reasons for running, he said, was to redefine tenure so that underperforming professors are easier to fire. During the interview, Schultz said he wanted to run for trustee after hearing about Professor William Penn’s outburst last September.
“The professors have the right to do what they do, but to shove it down one’s throat, I just don’t think it’s correct,” he said. “I think that really set the spark in motion.”
Schultz also pointed out the current athletically-inclined demographic of the current Board of Trustees. He said he’s all for supporting MSU’s successful athletic program, but thinks more money should be reallocated towards education and that records for non-athletic funding be more closely kept. Schultz said that during a renovation of the Cowles House he donated about $17,000, but the records were lost and claimed he donated only $4,000.
“It’s completely unacceptable,” he said.
Another major change he would like to make is to privatize MSU’s housing services, citing the successful privatization of transportation and food services on campus and that privatization of the dorms to an outside business would save MSU money in the long run. Scott Schultz is certainly not the usual Board of Trustees candidate.
He’s got a few wild and, perhaps, unpopular ideas, and some of his claims could be better-supported.
But, overall, the Editorial Board agrees that his genuine concern for students and history of financial prowess would be a welcome addition to the trustees — whether it be this election or the next time seats are up and he has had more time to solidify his plans and promote his name.
Michael Kransz did not contribute to this report due to a conflict of interest.
