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Eddie J. Davis, class of 1967, stands near the staircase in the Hagler Center. After serving as interim president for the University, Davis has returned to his position as the president of the Texas A&M Foundation.

Devotion toward a vision

Davis accomplishes goals to enhance Vision 2020

By: Travis Robinson

Posted: 1/23/08

Eddie J. Davis is a firm man who speaks clearly and communicates well. Friday afternoon the former interim president communicated the depth of his dedication to Texas A&M.

"I'm not going to stop working for the betterment of A&M," Davis said, a statement that speaks of hi loyalty to A&M.

Davis was appointed interim president on Dec. 18, 2006, to fill the void left by former President Robert Gates, who was tapped to serve as the U.S. secretary of defense. On Jan. 2, 2008, Davis returned to the A&M Foundation, the major fundraising arm for the University, where he had been president for the previous 14 years.

"My hope is to use the experience there and the energy level here to get out and visit with a lot more people about helping Texas A&M," Davis said. "The people in the foundation are a little nervous that I might keep up this energy level for another year or two," he said jokingly, adding that he did not think that it would be possible.

Davis, class of 1967, has dedicated more than four decades of work to A&M. Prior to joining the foundation, he served in every major financial position at the University.

Many students' first memory of Davis as interim president is favorable as he canceled the first two days of class in Spring 2007 because of an ice storm. "I immediately loved Dr. Davis as interim president. The first thing he did was give us a couple extra days off," said Haley Bliss, a senior recreation, park and tourism sciences major.

However, there were a number of crises, which included the Center for Disease Control suspending A&M's license to conduct biodefense research and two head coaching changes.

"A good, trained monkey can be president during regular times but it's during the crisis times where you're tested," Davis said. With that in mind, he left Elsa Murano with a list of 10 things that would help her best cope with and hopefully avoid such times of crisis.

The list, which he described was made up of the most vexing and intransigent problems that Murano would have to deal with as president, was topped with the issue of the financial demands on the resources available.

"The direction of Dr. Gates and the very aggressive agenda have, frankly, stretched the resource base," Davis said.

That does not mean that Davis isn't wholeheartedly pursuing Vision 2020, the university's initiative to be ranked in the Top 10 public Universities by the year 2020. During his tenure as interim president, he said that was one of his No. 1 goals. Davis did so without being limited by the label of "interim."

"I have no training on how to act as an interim. I've done a lot of things in my life but I've never been an interim," he said. "So, I'm not going to be an interim. I'm going to be the president for whatever period of time that means. We're not going to say there's a beginning and an end; we're going to carry the institution forward where we don't lose momentum and we don't change direction."

One of the major tasks that Davis had to perform in order to maintain Gates's momentum and direction was to raise money.

"Being an interim is tough, but he was able to lead A&M in the right direction," said Student Body President Conner Prochaska.

Within a month of being appointed as interim president, Davis represented the University during the state legislative session to secure funding for the upcoming year.

"We had the highest increase in appropriations in a decade, 11.6 percent," Davis said.

During his tenure, Davis continued Gates' vision by appointing a council for diversity and climate and a staff council. The staff council was responsible for representing employees not considered faculty while the council for diversity and climate was charged with the task of furthering diversification of A&M's student body.

Davis said that many prospective students from inner-city backgrounds found A&M unwelcoming: "This council has the mission of helping assess how we can change that image going forward," he said.

Murano said Davis did an excellent job with keeping the University on track. "I had the opportunity to work very closely with Dr. Davis and admired his dedication and selfless service to Texas A&M following the departure of Dr. Gates. Dr. Davis was able to keep the goals of Vision 2020 in focus."

Davis said that he'd miss an environment that was enriched with the presence of students.

"Dr. Davis was always willing to work with me and any other student," Prochaska said.

"It is the interaction, the close and intimate interaction with the students. That's what was probably most inspirational and motivational to me," Davis said. "They just have a way of renewing you."