"He's very low-key as a person. He's a goodlistener," Corlette says.
No matter what his credentials, mostadministrators agree that a University outsiderwill bring a fresh perspective.
"It's an opportunity for the University to havesomeone come in from the outside with a freshlook," Grogan says.
But, in the long run, many say a change of vicepresident will not bring dramatic shifts inUniversity policy.
"If it shifts, it will be a matter of degree,"Nixon says.
The vice president, according to Nixon, isessentially a spokesperson for the president andprovost and carries out the policies establishedby the administration.
"We are here to articulate the University'sgoals," Corlette says. "I think of the vicepresident as the University's advocateoutside...its external membrane."