By Kristina Goetz
The Cincinnati Enquirer

One thing is certain about the future of the University of Cincinnati: Joseph Steger will leave his post as president by June 2003. What happens next is a little less so.

FRIDAY'S COVERAGE

Did you miss Friday's story? If so, see what Dr. Steger said about his retirement decision.

As word spread of the 65-year-old's retirement announcement Friday, reactions varied among faculty, staff and students. Some said it would be hard to replace a man who has such strong knowledge of the institution and higher education in Ohio. Others called it a good time for a regime change.

"We've been kind of off-balance," Richard Karp, chairman of the faculty senate, said about the long-time speculation of the announcement date. "Now people are saying, `Oh, this is for real.' And people can think about where we want to go."

Dr. Karp said he wants to continue the momentum Dr. Steger started regarding shared governance with the faculty.

Many expressed ideas about the direction they want the university to take and the qualities they hope Dr. Steger's successor will have, such as:

Someone who focuses more on research in the arts and sciences side of campus.

A strong fund-raiser and advocate at the statehouse.

A leader in social development.

UC's Board of Trustees has begun to assemble a search committee to replace Dr. Steger. Many of these ideas will undoubtedly be raised, said board chairman George Schaefer.

"You want a guy with a red cape and an `S' on his chest," he said. "And that's hard to find."

E-mail kgoetz@enquirer.com