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President Fallon sets positive tone for EMU's future at investiture

For Eastern Michigan University to go from good to great, John Fallon, its 21st president, said the institution's main obstacles aren't money, its personnel or its infrastructure.

Its main challenge lies in attitude.

FALLON'S MEDALLION: John Fallon receives the
presidential medallion from Board of Regent Chair
Karen Valvo during the president's investiture in
Quirk Theatre April 7. Fallon was officially sworn in
as Eastern Michigan University's 21st president.

I would contend that it's attitude...the absence of a clear, authentic, consistent and abiding positive, confident and optimistic attitude," Fallon said during his investiture speech before a packed crowd in Quirk Theatre April 7. "I've been around long enough now to know, empirically and unequivocally, that positive attitude can compensate for shortcomings in other more substantive areas. I've seen well-supported organizations with vitally important missions get stuck in the mud because of their attitude. And I've also seen struggling organizations do heroic things simply because they just knew they could. Attitude, and its related component — trust, respect, comportment and integrity — are everything."

"We have work to do on our attitude. We need to embrace the notion that there isn't much that we can't accomplish if we put our minds to it," he continued. "More important, we need to embrace each other. The emerging context of shared governance here will provide the backdrop and context for this to take place. And the spirit of trust, respect and integrity will provide the lubricant that permits us to engage the institution's flywheel and get it moving faster and more deliberately. We can do this and get to a place that's rightful for us. And the primary beneficiaries of this, happily, will be our students."

Fallon's tone of future hope, prosperity and priorities for EMU was met with enthusiastic applause and a standing ovation from a crowd that included several of Fallon's family members, friends and longtime professional colleagues and mentors from other institutions of higher learning. Dignitaries included Sen. Liz Brater (D-18), EMU Board of Regent Chair Karen Valvo, fellow regents Jan Brandon and Floyd Clack, and EMU Alumni Association President Karen Pitton.