Building a Campus From Ground Up

Alexander W. McNeill grew up in the 1950s in Coventry, England, where a centuries-old cathedral destroyed in World War II was being rebuilt in a modern style.

He found great appeal in the idea of making something new rise from the remains of an abandoned institution. Decades later, the 58-year-old university administrator has a similar opportunity.

A year before the Cal State Channel Islands campus is due to open on the grounds of the defunct Camarillo State Hospital, McNeill has left his post as a dean at the University of Alaska to become the new university’s vice president for academic affairs.

As chief academic officer for Ventura County’s first public four-year institution, he will oversee the building of the university’s faculty, programming and accreditation process from the ground up.

“It sort of brings me back full circle,” said McNeill, seated before his office computer on a recent afternoon, searching the Internet for a photograph of the rebuilt Coventry Cathedral. “In a sense, building the university is also creating a structure. We have to build the framework to support the programs as they’re developed.”

Team Internship Program Planned

Between now and next fall, McNeill will undertake a crash course in Ventura County’s history, demography and economics. He believes the campus curriculum should be tailored to prepare students for local and regional job markets. In a county that houses Amgen’s headquarters and a $1-billion agriculture industry, two key areas will be biotechnology and agribusiness.

In addition, he hopes to develop a team internship program in connection with area businesses or nonprofit groups. Under such a program, one student from each of several courses of study--communications, computer science, business administration and fine arts, for example--might be assigned to a group project researching an urban planning question and putting together a community presentation.

Such a program would help students sharpen their collaborative and academic skills, McNeill said. It might also make some students realize they’re interested in a field they had previously overlooked.

Fulbright Scholar

McNeill notes that as a young man, he changed his own mind a few times about what he wanted to do for a living. A native of Scotland, he moved to England at age 9. He was 14 when his father died, and his mother took in boarders, including a civil engineer on the cathedral project, who inspired McNeill to become an architect. He focused his studies on mathematics and art.

But his interest peaked quickly. McNeill loved sports--rugby in particular--and thought it might be more fun to coach schoolchildren. He earned a teaching credential in math and physical education from St. Luke’s College in England. His work at the time, filling in for a gym teacher at a school for blind boys in Worcester, tapped an interest in physiology.

On a whim, McNeill applied for and was awarded a Fulbright scholarship. With that, he was off to the University of Oregon to pursue an academic career driven by his interest in sports and the human anatomy. He earned a bachelor of science in physical education in 1965, a master’s degree in exercise science in 1967 and a PhD in exercise physiology and biomechanics in 1973.

He held teaching and administrative positions at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, the University of Idaho and Montana State University, joining the University of Alaska at Anchorage in 1994 as dean of the School of Education. He eventually became dean of the College of Health, Education and Social Welfare in 1996.

During his time at the Anchorage campus, McNeill was instrumental in revamping the university’s teacher preparation program and improving communication among departments, Chancellor Lee Gorsuch said.

“Alex is a very philosophical person who thinks deep thoughts about the value and purpose of higher education,” Gorsuch said. “He has good ideas and he works well with other colleagues.”

Cal State Channel Islands President Richard Rush said McNeill’s broad experience helped him clinch the job. He described McNeill as a gentle soul with “an unassailable record for integrity and competence.”