The man behind the curtain: a Q & A with Trani

Eugine P. Trani has served as the president of VCU since 1990. During his administration, Trani spearheaded the investment of more than $2.1 billion toward the infrastructure of VCU and approximately $100 million toward the construction of Broad Street alone. Trani helped transform the VCU health system, as well as the VCU campuses. Trani will step down on July 1, when Central Michigan University President Michael Rao will succeed him.

How did your surgery affect your desire to remain president of VCU?

It was shocking to me. I have over 2000 hours of sick leave accumulated and I worked out three times a week. I have taken an aspirin a day since 1980 and I don’t smoke so I thought I was in pretty good health. I did not have a heart attack.

It was stunning to me because I worked long hours and didn’t feel tired and that really woke me up.

My health had a major impact on my decision (to retire from VCU) and I have not looked back since I made that decision.

You said that you were pleased with Michael Rao as your replacement. What is it specifically about him that you find so appealing?

First of all, he is very bright. He is very personable. He has got some great experience.

There are things that will expand his sense of responsibilities but I really think he’s up to it.

I think he’s going to be here for a long time.

Some critics have said that he is not ready to run a medical school. What would you say?

He’s got great experience in everything else.

That’s certainly an area that he will be thrown into right away because he will be president of the health system as well as president of the university. He understood that when he applied for the job. The search committee understood that when they interviewed him for the job and the board understood that when they hired him so I don’t worry about that at all.

In what direction do you think he will take VCU?

I have no idea. I don’t know what his agenda is. I think he has said over and over again, he really wants to listen to what people say and that’s a good thing for him to do.

I suspect that any decision that he makes will be over a period of time and with wide consultation with the students, the faculty and the staff.

Of the work you have undertaken during your time here, what do you think is still left to be done?

What is my biggest concern is the budget of the university.

Virginia does not support higher education. I think we are falling behind because of that. It results in us being more tuition-dependent than we should be.

We educate thousands upon thousands of Virginians and we are proud of that and I think we will always be proud of that, but I think the state has to invest in its higher education system more than it has invested in it in the past.

We are an opportunity university.

VCU has experienced a lot of negative publicity, especially in the past year, with the Rodney Monroe degree situation and the Philip Morris contracts, among other situations. What has it been like to have to handle so much negative publicity?

These things happen. Certainly the Rodney Monroe thing should have never happened.

It’s one out of 14,000 degrees that have been awarded that were examined.
Do I think the press spent too much time covering it? Yeah I think they spent far too much time on it.

It was negative publicity. Sure. But I think, in the end, the people of Richmond understood what happened.

Do you think that’s the same for the other situations that have caused negative publicity?

You know we’re a town of 50.000 people.

Bluntly, our faculty, staff and graduates who live in the Richmond area understand that and have a sense of perspective.

Negative publicity occurs. It can’t dominate your life if you’re doing a good job, as this university does on a daily basis.

Do you think these situations will affect your legacy or the reputation of VCU or is there enough positive aspects to offset all of that?

This is a great university.

If it was such a disaster, would we get 17,000 applications?

People hammer the university at the drop of a hat.

I read this stuff but I get up everyday and try to do the best I can and will do that until July 1 as president of VCU and I know Dr. Rao will do it everyday in his presidency, and everybody else.

Most students on campus haven’t had the opportunity to see you and meet you. Do you ever feel like the guy from the “Wizard of Oz,” the man behind the curtain?

First of all, this is a big, complex job. I walk across the (University Student) Commons all the time.

I’ll meet the students whenever possible and after a year sabbatical, I’m going to teach in the honors program. But this is a $2.1 billion budget with 17,000 employees and 32,000 students, a medical center that I clearly spend half my time on. So, no. I don’t feel like the Wizard of Oz. I don’t have that much power. But you know, I’m around and I’m here everyday.

What do you plan on teaching in the honors college?

First of all I have four books.

One is coming out in June. It’s a big 500-page book entitled ‘Distorted Mirrors: Americans and Their Relations with Russia and China in the Twentieth Century.’

It’s being published in Russia and in China, as well as in Spain.

The second book that will be done this summer is on universities and economic development.

So those are two subjects I’m going to talk about in the honors modules.

The other thing that really interests me is the American presidency.

Those are three of the subjects I plan to talk to the honors students about.

During your time at VCU, you focused a lot on building and infrastructure. Some critics have said that you have spent too much time on that and not enough on education. What do you think?

The facilities were a necessary stage of VCU. They had to be built.

We have lots of new academic buildings here and at the medical center and they enhance teaching. There is no question about that.
A lot of the good faculty we have recruited we would have never recruited if we didn’t have the facilities.

You have always said that you didn’t want a football team. Why?

It’s very expensive.

The polls I have seen run by student government are, ‘Yes, we want football but no, we’re not willing to pay for it.’ That’s a non-starter.

The only way VCU could have a football team is through student fees.

If you weren’t retiring, what would you do next?

I’m ready to retire. My family, my wife is ready for me to step back from this job because she’s worked hard the 19 years she’s been here.

All five of my grandchildren live in Richmond and there are a lot of things I haven’t done with them.