James W. Crawford, III hit the ground running September 29th, his first day as Felician University’s new Interim President. The day was a full one, marked by a series of zoom meetings where he had the chance to meet and interact with the Felician Family, including University Cabinet members, representatives of the faculty and staff, and students. Before the day’s end, President Crawford also fit in a Board of Trustees committee meeting.

Of course, the COVID-19 pandemic was front and center in President Crawford’s early communications. He spoke of how to navigate the waters of the pandemic, and how some are calling it a community trauma that society is going through, and said, “It’s fair to be stressed and concerned and even sometimes a bit angry,” about how it has affected our lives. But President Crawford added that we have to embrace circumstances as they are, “not to let them confine us, but to motivate us to find a way to continue to move forward with our lives in a reasonable way, that’s protective of us individually, and through our behaviors, protective of our neighbors, colleagues, and partners.” He also stressed that while COVID-19 is temporary, the challenges of higher education are not, adding that Felician is in a good place to tackle those challenges.

In every interaction, the Interim President spoke with clarity and candor as he connected to each segment of the Felician community, and thanked everyone for their dedication to making Felician a unique student-centered university. In fact, President Crawford calls the students, “the heart and soul of Felician University.” In a video message taped outside his new home, the President spoke to students saying, “I wanted to communicate with them right off the bat, so they know I am someone they can talk to, and know I am interested in them, even though I’ve yet to meet them.”

Interim President James W. Crawford, III

The President held a zoom meeting with student leaders on his first afternoon. He asked Dr. Ron Gray, Vice President of Student Affairs and Dean of Students, to have the students bring at least one question to the table. Students obliged, peppering the new Interim President with a variety of questions such as, “what do you plan to do to bring the university together, especially during COVID,” and, “what drew you to Felician?” President Crawford told the students there’s been a consistency in the institutions to which he’s been drawn, a consistency he attributes to the values instilled in him as a youngster by, “his parents, teachers and the blessings of God.” President Crawford says the Church and his educational environment, along with his family, instilled in him certain things that are important. “I would characterize them as faith, family, and service.”

He went on to talk to the students about football great Gale Sayers who died in September. “Sayers wrote the book, I Am Third, and the title came from a plaque that was on the desk of his track coach. One day when he was a sophomore he went into his coach’s office and finally had the courage to ask what the plaque meant, and his coach said, God is first, family is second, and I am third.” President Crawford’s father gave him the book when he was twelve, and he says he recently gave it to his own twelve-year-old twin boys to read.

Interim President James W. Crawford, III

Another student asked the Interim President what steps he took to achieve his various degrees and titles. He didn’t hesitate in answering, “There’s nothing that I have been able to do that I’ve done on my own. God gave me his blessing to achieve these things. That’s how magnanimous his love is.”

The meeting was a productive back and forth of learning and dialogue between the students and the President, who told them his first priority will be to learn about the institution, its people, and understand its culture. He emphasized, “there’s nothing more important in an institution than its culture, just like there is nothing more important to an individual than their character.” It was a lesson the President learned from his Mother, who would always tell him, “You can’t let anyone define your character, that’s something you define and it’s too precious.”

In a Town Hall virtual zoom meeting held later in the week, Interim President Crawford spoke of the importance of understanding the mission, something he says was always front and center in the Navy. “Mission animates everything, it is why we exist.” President Crawford went on to talk about the importance of executing the mission – building a strategy, and then executing it. He also spoke out strongly in favor of the liberal arts, calling them perfectly designed for the 21st century’s pace of change, and said they should not be overlooked or diminished.

The new President’s sleeves are rolled up, and he’s already hard at work connecting, communicating, and planning. To be sure members of the Felician Family are equally eager to get to know their new President. “I want to contribute to this institution’s success, and I know full well, I will gain far more far than I give.”

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About Felician University

Felician University engages over 2,300 undergraduate, graduate, and adult students through programs in Arts & Sciences, Business, Nursing, and Education. Universal Franciscan values of social justice, compassion, and respect for human dignity serve as an inclusive foundation for transforming the lives of tomorrow’s leaders. Felician University’s education is ranked 3rd best return on investment for private colleges in New Jersey 2018 by the PayScale.com College ROI Report and is ranked #1 safest college campus in the state by niche.com in 2018.