George Walker

By Jan R. Holloway, UITS; Lauren J. Bryant, RUGS; and Shannon F. Walden, R&SP

 

Walker

Photo by Tyagan Miller

Ask George E. Walker about his legacy as Indiana University vice president for research, and he’ll tell you a story about trees. Walker’s father, a prison official, was raised in the American plains, with few trees in sight. "Trees became very symbolic for him," Walker explains. "He loved their shade, their beauty."

When the senior Walker took a job in New Mexico, he was again surrounded by hundreds of acres with few trees, so he decided to plant them. He organized a "water wagon" of people, including inmates and guards, to keep the saplings alive.

"He talked to people about the trees and encouraged them to appreciate both their reality and their symbolism as living organisms," says Walker.

Eventually, Walker’s father moved on, and the water wagon stopped. "My dad wasn’t overly sad or bitter about that, though," Walker recalls. "He told me that the people he’d talked to (about watering) were the real trees. The important nurturing he was doing involved his discussions with the people."

In 1991, Walker started his tenure as IU vice president for research and dean of the Graduate School amid a "wonderful forest" of people, he says. The "giant redwood" among them was Herman B Wells, whose mentoring, says Walker, helped him and many others "go on to be helpful in various ways."

Walker may be modest about his accomplishments, but the numbers tell the story. While Walker was vice president, sponsored research funding at IU increased from $113 million to $339.5 million in 2002. He established new research centers, including the Center for Genomics and Bioinformatics, the Center on Congress, and the Center for Mathematics Education, bringing the total number of centers, institutes, and museums Walker has managed to 33.

At the same time, Walker took the lead in national organizations devoted to graduate education including the Council of Graduate Schools and the Association of American Universities. In late 2000, the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching named Walker director of the Carnegie Initiative on the Doctorate, a five-year project aimed at restructuring Ph.D. education and training throughout the United States. Walker retires from IU in June to take on the director’s role full time.

Walker has held a number of administrative positions over the years, among them a three-year stint as chair of the IU Bloomington physics department. He took on that role and others in part, he says, as an opportunity to repay some debts. "From the moment I came to IU in 1970," says Walker, "many senior people in the physics department were very encouraging and helpful. They treated me well, and that built awfully strong loyalty in me to IU and the department. And of course, they were also mentoring me in how I should treat others."

Mentoring may be a buzzword, but for Walker, it’s the key to a university’s success. "The true leaders in the academy are faculty with Ph.D.s. They are special stewards entrusted with special opportunities," says Walker. "If those leaders don’t have a mindset that encourages others to investigate, reflect, and think deeply, they can become a problem instead of providing an opportunity. There is nothing more important than for those of us who have experience to help."

Walker sums up his views on 30-plus years of university life with another story from his youth: "I read Uncle Wiggily stories as a child," he recalls. "At the end of each chapter, some character would be in trouble, and Uncle Wiggily would take that character out of harm’s way. And sure enough, in the next chapter, the character would come back to save Uncle Wiggily."

"I believe in the Uncle Wiggily philosophy," he says. "It’s a simple idea, but if you have a chance to help others, just do it. Helpfulness never goes out of style."