UGA’s new senior vice president for external affairs arrived on campus last month and, while she was still getting acclimated, shared her thoughts about her new position with the editors of Columns and Georgia Magazine.

GM/Columns: What have you
noticed so far?

Costello: My initial impressions are of a very warm and inviting university community--very friendly deeply loyal, open to new people, kind, thoughtful. All of those nice human qualities are apparent here. The other observation is how beautiful the campus is. It’s truly a lovely place, and there is something nice about working in an environment that has so much beauty.

GM/Columns: How do you plan to approach external affairs?

Costello: The University of Georgia has made tremendous national gains in recent years. At the same time, within the state, there has been a real commitment to education. And of all the things that will allow the state of Georgia to prosper in the future, the three that are most critical are education, a strong economic base (which frankly is tied to education) and dealing with environmental issues and natural resources. The environment is right for a new burst of energy.

GM/Columns: What do you think about the plans for the new alumni center?

Costello: It’s a very desirable project. An alumni center is a statement by the university that the alumni really are stakeholders--they’re the people with the greatest investment in what the university does in the future, and they’re the people in whom the university has invested the most in the past.
I think our goal right now is to determine what the scope of the project should be and to try to move it ahead as rapidly as
possible.

GM/Columns:
Do you expect UGA’s recent fund-raising success to continue?

Costello: Yes. I believe that the university has just begun--barely--to yield the kind of results that are possible. One of the difficult things about fund raising, with alumni in particular, is keeping the connection, and Georgia has so many things that connect people to the university. What we must do is make the case for why this is a good investment for private dollars as well as tax dollars.

GM/Columns: UGA now has three
senior vice presidents and two are female. Is there any significance to that?

Costello: I think it says that Mike Adams looked for the best people he could find who could work well with him, and gender didn’t matter. I think that’s a positive thing. This is the first place I’ve ever been that I am not the first and only woman vice president--in my entire career.

GM/Columns: Do women bring something different to the job?

Costello: I think women do bring something good to the table. Ann Richards, when she was governor of Texas, said that a woman who has been a wife and mother knows how to divide a cookie three ways and have everybody be happy. Part of what you learn in the female role in our society, particularly in my generation, is an awful lot about negotiation, conflict resolution, getting results, and juggling a lot of balls. You learn to organize and plan for the outcomes you want. Those are characteristics that women learn more naturally in our society.
There’s another asset. Many years ago I developed something that I laughingly called the “stag on the hill” theory. There was a great deal of tension among the men in the management group of which I was a part, and I came to realize that part of that was a natural competitiveness that I envisioned as two stags on a hill, fighting with each other because one of them has to take the hill. One of the things I learned very early is that I didn’t need to take the hill--I could go over the hill, around the hill, above the hill. I didn’t need to own it.

GM/Columns: Do women have to be twice as good to get half as far in higher education?

Costello: It’s a hard thing to judge. I would say that women--certainly in my generation; I hope it’s less true today--had to work harder and be more diligent to get the same recognition. I can remember many, many times early in my career when it would have been unthinkable for the credit for a success to go to the woman in the group, even if she had done all the work. Luckily, at that stage that was not really of concern to me.
But it was a tough time. It was not unusual to make a senior-level presentation to a board and have someone say, “Thank you, honey,” and pat you on the shoulder. However, I never once felt that I was a token. I know every step of the way that I earned the job and did the job well.

GM/Columns: Are there new challenges here for you?

Costello: I like the way President Adams has organized the administration. I hope to be able to operate at a macro level--as a leader rather than a manager. That doesn’t mean that we don’t need to manage some things, but there are excellent people to do that. I will concentrate on the horizon that we should be moving toward and try to create an environment that enables our team--a great staff and outstanding volunteers--to move the university forward.

--Beth Roberts