After a summer of seeing Dr. Edward F. Leonard III walking around campus, I still had no idea what to expect from our new president. Thankfully, writing for The Odyssey gave me an excuse to interview him. I talked to as many BSC students as I could to find out what they all wanted to know about our new head of campus (a true investigative journalist, I know).

When I first started talking to Dr. Leonard, we had a 30-minute conversation on which "Doctor Who" Doctor was the best, what the best order to watch "Star Wars" in is, and how Britain really should invest in more than 20 actors that they reuse in everything. His youngest son was in the room with us and was happy to talk about his recent first day at kindergarten. Like most of us at BSC, he was eager to return to school to see his friends and continue learning.

The Odyssey (TO): What made you choose BSC over any other college? What do you believe separates us from other schools?

Dr. Leonard: "BSC is actually a school I've known for about 35 years this spring. After I graduated, I worked for my fraternity (Lambda Chi Alpha) for two years as a consultant, and I actually visited the chapter that used to be here (they closed two years later). I came here in March of 1981 and fell in love with the campus and the people. So I've known about it for a while, and the similarities between where I went to school and BSC are almost spooky. Where I went to school, the slogan is 'On the Hill,' and of course, BSC is 'On the Hilltop.' They both had red brick buildings, a beautiful, beautiful campus. You walk on campus and you think 'This is what a liberal arts school is supposed to look like.' But what sets BSC apart from other schools is the real commitment to the liberal arts. Everything is intertwined. Athletes are really athletes, Greek Life is robust and adds value for those who want to participate, and people can be more than just a student here. So as a school, it really adds to the value of student life. So when this opportunity opened itself up, I was eager to take it. Obviously, the struggles of the last few years had been well chronicled in the higher education community. And it certainly didn't intimidate me since every place has its challenges."

TO: What are your goals for the college and the student body coming into this year?

Dr. Leonard: "Obviously, the General has done a really amazing job here, and I really want to build on that. And I would like to take half a step back, not to try and stop the momentum, but for me, its all about the student and the student experience, so I would like to facilitate a campus conversation about the student experience. What is it? What should it be? And how do we close that gap? What would we like the student experience to be down the road? I don't think that you have the separated academic and curricular sides of education. Colleges like BSC don't have extracurricular activities; you do that at places like UAB or Alabama. Here you have co-curricular. So how do you shape the Greek experience or the athletic experience or the religious life experience or whatever happens to be going on outside of the classroom and weave all that together into one total school experience."

TO: What are you most looking forward to in this and future years?

Dr. Leonard: "This year, I'm mostly looking forward to learning more about BSC, about what makes it different from other church-affiliated, private liberal arts schools. It's easy to see the difference between BSC and somewhere like UAB, but the things that set BSC apart are going to be things like its traditions. So I really want to try and see the 'DNA,' if you will, of this school and what really sets it apart."

TO: What is something that you would like BSC students to know about you?

Dr. Leonard: "I was a swimmer when I was in college, and I was heavily involved in Greek Life, serving as president of my fraternity and a member of the IFC. So this means that I will be both the athletes' and the Greeks' biggest champions, but I will also push them to be the best that they can be. I know what the 'best practice' for a team will look like, and I know what values Greek Life is supposed to bring out in each chapter and its individual members. I want to push these students, along with every other student on campus, to become the best that they can be and get the most out of their college years."

TO: You've talked a lot about the "college experience." Tell me about your time in college and your time at Bethany College before us.

Dr. Leonard: "I went to a college that was very similar to BSC, and when I entered it, I entered very one-dimensional. I came as a swimmer and that was my 'brand.' As time went on, I became president of my fraternity, I was involved with IFC, I was president of the philosophy major honor society (Phi Sigma Tau) while still remaining a swimmer and going on to be a school record holder. So when I graduated, I left as a multidimensional person. This is really what planted the seed for the idea of the 'total college experience.' I want every student here to be able to grow into a more well-rounded person by the time they graduate. Whether they pursue theater, music, art, athletics, religious life or student leadership, students should leave as more than they came. At Bethany, we worked on a lot of the things that you here at BSC have already done. We created a more interdisciplinary course load and things of the like, and I would really like to bring that same concept to BSC."

TO: What do you think that Birmingham has to offer your family? How will growing up on a college campus enrich your children's lives?

Dr. Leonard: "Well, for my sons, it has two Chuck E. Cheese's within 10 minutes, so they were ecstatic to move here. But they both have grown up on college campuses, so this won't be too much of a change for them in that aspect. I really think that a college is the best place to raise a family. I'm able to show my children the arts, true athletics, and they get to meet some amazing role models. I think that they're going to love BSC as much as any of the students."

After this interview, all I have to say is that I can't wait to see what all this new year brings with Dr. Leonard! If you want to know more about him, click here.