- ust as leaving Wall Street to pursue an academic career centered on fnding the “right ft,” Cavalier says becoming president involved fnding a campus community that felt like a good match personally and professionally. During KU’s presidential search, he says every meeting – from the campus tours to interviews with the search com mittee and council of trustees – afrmed his interest in the position. “In every meeting, it felt right,” he says. “I felt like the way that I’m wired and the vibe that I’m getting with these people matched.” Cavalier says he was especially impressed with KU’s commitment to the arts while maintaining its mission as a regional comprehensive university focused on workforce development, experiential education, and providing access to a quality education for students. While not everyone begins a higher education career with the goal of becoming a university president, Cavalier notes that it’s clear his path yielded leadership lessons that he will use at KU. It began with lessons learned as a student-athlete playing lacrosse and soccer at Swarthmore College outside Philadelphia. “Sports can teach you a lot about yourself and your ability to deal with pressure,” he says. He remembers starting his college soccer career as the fourth string goalie. Determined to do better, he earned the starter position by the end of his junior year. Sports, he notes, builds the kind of resilience leaders draw on in challenging times. “In higher education leadership, you face challenges and setbacks of all kinds,” Cavalier says. “I think sports helped me tremendously to see that I had the ability to do that.” Lessons in resilience were further tempered during his time as a Fulbright Fellow in Ukraine at Kyiv International University and Kyiv Slavonic University. Navigating a signifcantly diferent culture and language barriers with three young sons in tow – at that time ages 8, 5 and 2 – taught him lessons he carried forward. “I don’t think I’ve had a moment professionally since we came back from Ukraine that I’ve felt was more challenging than that year,” he says. Because he once was a tenured English faculty member, Cavalier also brings a perspective that prioritizes strengthening the academic experi ence for both faculty and students. He especially prized his interactions with students beginning their college journey when he directed the frst-year seminar program at Catawba College in North Carolina. “When I became an administrator, I always thought of myself as a faculty member who decided to do academic leadership,” he says. “… I defnitely still think of myself as a faculty member, even though I know I’m now president of a university–and that’s a very diferent thing.” As president, he notes that his academic orientation can translate to putting processes in place to ensure student success. As he begins his tenure, he says that maintaining the balanced budget he’s grateful to have inherited from his predecessor is key, as will be strengthening student recruitment. But Cavalier emphasizes that his frst priority is getting to know the university and its employees. “One thing that is critical for me is getting around to the diferent ofces. I need to get a sense of where people are, what they’re doing, and who they are. I want to be very intentional about that,” Cavalier says. “I’ve always been skeptical if someone comes to campus and in a month says, ‘Here are all the things we need to do.’ It means you’re deciding without really knowing very much about the community and about the people you’ll be working with.” FEATURE Dr. Philip Cavalier is introduced to Kutztown's mayor, Jim Schlegel, by former mayor and current KU Council of Trustees member Sandy Green. J Presidential preparation Identifying priorities 6 TOWER | FALL 2025
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