McDaniel College’s new president seeks interaction between academic and municipal communities
Roger Casey wants to change McDaniel College’s self-image.
By Photos by: John Stranovsky, David Greisman
When Roger Casey became McDaniel College’s new president in July, he saw a fence between the school and the Boys and Girls Clubs of Westminster, located at the bottom of The Hill on Union Street.
“It wasn’t closed off,” said Casey. “You could walk around.
“But there was a gate in the middle that was welded shut. I was really troubled by the symbolic statement of this gate.”
Casey had a new, unlocked gate put in, as well as a set of stairs. It was a small part of Casey’s larger undertaking: cultivating the connection between college and community.
“Some people look to a college because of its cultural and intellectual events,” he said. “There are other people who say, “Is it okay for me to walk on campus? People may have a perception that we’re up on this hill.”
Casey, who previously was the provost and vice president of academic affairs at Rollins College in Florida, wants to change any perception that McDaniel College is separated from the city of Westminster. Rather, the relationship between town and gown is one of partnership.
“We need to own our back yard,” he said.
Doing that calls for a multifaceted approach. For example: McDaniel has set up a specific contact within the city government for sharing information, Casey said. The college has also been considering conducting a study of its impact on the local economy.
“It could help us see whether there are any means by which we could help contribute to the growth of the community,” he said.
Casey spoke of a walk he and other school administrators were soon to take downtown, a walk in which he would talk to residents and businesses about McDaniel. It was not a coincidence that during the interview for this article, he wore a pin on his left lapel reading “I Am McDaniel” and a pin on his right lapel reading “Roger N. Casey.”
Casey’s efforts are not just limited to changing the community’s perception of McDaniel. He also intends to change McDaniel’s perception of itself. He spoke of “swagger,” of being proud of the school, what it offers and what it has produced.
Among the college’s alumni: A Pulitzer Prize winner, The youngest person ever to argue before the U.S. Supreme Court, an endowed professor at Harvard’s Divinity School, a high-ranking executive of a Fortune 500 corporation.
But Casey also wants to go beyond local. He wants to “leverage the alumni base” when they move elsewhere around the country. They can “help us effectively carry the McDaniel message,” he said.
“I see nothing but positive opportunity and potential, the more and more people know McDaniel,” Casey said. “I love the word Ôbrand.’ When the iPod comes out with a new version, everybody’s got to have it. That’s Ôbrand.’ Would that a college could be that way.”
