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In just four years, BSC’s 13th president leaves
an indelible impact
BY
HANNAH WOLFSON
Sometimes thinking outside the box pays off.
Take Birmingham-Southern’s search for a new president in 2010. Reeling from a
financial crisis, program cuts, and under sanction from its accreditors, the college needed
a jolt of energy and fresh leadership. But who on earth would be willing to take on the
challenge?
Someone from well outside of academia, it turned out—a leader with boundless
enthusiasm, a refusal to take “no” for an answer, and fearlessness in the face of a crisis.
Someone who had literally been shot and lived to tell the tale; someone who loved young
people more than anything; someone who fell in love with BSC’s people and campus at
first sight. Someone so committed that he ended up serving as president for four years
without ever taking a paycheck.
“What we needed, I guess, was a four-star general,” said Bruce Rogers ’80, chair of the
BSC Board of Trustees. “What’s interesting is that we didn’t really choose him; he chose us.
He recognized something in BSC that was unique and valuable and that’s where he wanted
to give his time and energy. And then we realized what an extraordinary leader he would
be.”
Righting the ship
In what would turn out to be a preview of his modus operandi, Gen. Charles C. Krulak
didn’t even wait until his official start date—July 1—to start work, beginning in March
instead. He and his wife, Zandi, moved into the Hilltop Village Apartments, sharing walls
with the students. He quickly gained a reputation for ubiquity on campus; within weeks,
students, faculty, and staff shared stories of being “Krulaked,” with the new president
dropping in on a class, a meeting, or sitting down with them at lunch.
“That’s how he works—he believes in interacting with students, faculty, staff alumni,
donors, etc., directly and getting to know how things work though hands-on personal
experience,” said Russ Appleton, Krulak’s chief of staff at Birmingham-Southern, who
has worked with him in several capacities in the U.S. Marine Corps. “He referred to it
as ‘kicking boxes’ when he was Commandant and it is a daily, often hourly, example of
how he leads from the front. He dislikes getting stuck behind a desk and sitting in long
meetings. His energy, intellect, and integrity drive him to develop a deep understanding of
an organization and its people. His passion is real and you have to be on your toes.”
His first priority was to right the ship, which he did with great speed. Years of experience
as the former Commandant of the U.S. Marine Corps and in international banking
gave him a laser focus on how to fix the school’s budgetary issues. In the first year, he
stabilized spending, hit new records for fundraising and alumni participation, and began
negotiations with the college’s creditors. He reorganized administration, set his sights
on shrinking BSC’s board down to a more manageable size, and began work on boosting
enrollment.
Steering by the stars,
leaving footprints on the moon