Students have been able to reach University of Memphis President Dr. M. David Rudd through email, his office and even Twitter. Now, in an effort to take president-student communication one step further, free food and open discussion was offered Wednesday in the University Center River room.Â
“Pizza with the Prez,†a new initiative by President Rudd, provides students with a free meal and an opportunity to get questions answered by the president one day each month. For 90 minutes, students gather around Rudd to ask about different topics, present new ideas, give criticism and tell him about things going on in their college life.
President M. David Rudd speaks to students during the first “Pizza with the Prez” event. It was held in the UC River room Nov. 8.
“It’s always helpful to talk to students,†Rudd said. “They are the best resource for how we can improve and be more effective.â€Â
The initiative was created by Rudd and other U of M leadership following an open conversation regarding recent sexual assault reports. The intent was to create awareness through conversation, but the lunches are not limited to discussing only sexual assault — no topic was off limits.
On Wednesday, at the first “Pizza with the Prez†Rudd and fifteen students of different ages and ethnicities sat together and conversed.Â
One student was concerned about safety at this Friday’s “Bluff City Bash,†but Rudd said there would be a strong security presence with fencing and officers at the gates monitoring those coming into the concert.
Another student brought up the topic of sexual assault, sharing with Rudd how she has started a fundraising campaign that would provide rape kits and other forms of treatment to victims of sexual assault. Rudd said he would donate to that campaign.
Rudd repeated during the meeting that he aims to recognize where there are problems and admit when things need to be fixed. One student said her shower in Rawls Hall is infested with mold, and Rudd said that was not okay and that he would send someone over immediately to fix that.Â
Students also voiced their discontent with academic advising and Rudd agreed that “we have an advising challenge†at the U of M, but also said a new artificial intelligence software for advising will be implemented this spring and should help resolve past advising issues.
Although Rudd said he found “Pizza with the Prez†beneficial for both him and the students, he said it could be more successful going forward. Right now, the biggest challenge is finding a consistent time and day where the most students can attend. Rudd said he hopes to have “maximum participation†for the remainder of this year’s meetings.Â
“I thought it was a lot of fun,†Rebecca Fultz, a psychology major at the U of M said. “I liked the intimacy of [the meeting] and he was okay with all my dumb questions.â€
The next “Pizza with the Prez†will be Dec. 6 at noon in the UC River room.Â
