Clough discusses his life experiences

Institute President Wayne Clough struggled during his first semester as a student at Tech. Clough talked about that and other topics when he sat down on Tuesday to participate in an interview that shed light on his personal side. The interview was conducted by Brett Ryan, a third-year Biology major and the host of Tech Talk on WREK Radio. The interview took place in the Library East Commons and was open for students to attend and ask Clough questions.

The questions ranged from Clough's experience on Tech as a student, to what he does during his free time, to how his experiences at other universities have shaped him in his role as president.

"[In my free time] I love to read. Reading is something you can do anytime. I also swim for physical exercise and I enjoy golfing. My wife and I love to go to the movies," Clough said.

One of the first questions was what made Clough decide to go to Tech. "I went to Tech because I always wanted to build things. My parents grew up on a farm during the [Great] Depression. Tech is the place I wanted to get into and was lucky enough [to be accepted]," Clough said.

Clough was asked about the spelling and the pronunciation of his name and how it is confusing to people new at Tech.

"Apparantly 'ough' has the most different pronunciations for a letter combination. A way to remember it is to say 'rough, tough Clough," Clough said.

Ryan asked Clough about what occurs in a day in the life of the president.

"It is a lot of stuff. There is a lot of gear changing. Tech is a very complex place. The constituency [I'm dealing with] changes hourly. My job is to enable people and to facilitate things. We have a bunch of talented people here and I have to enable them to do what they do best. I give a lot of speeches. I have a wonderful speech writer who is an excellent researcher. When you are the president at Tech, you are expected to know about technology. [Because so much is happening], I don't know everything that is going on at Tech," Clough said.

Clough was also asked about his student life at Tech and what he did besides going to class.

"I enjoyed a social life. I did not play sports but I still love them. I liked Atlanta because it offered culture which I did not have. I also enjoyed books. I love history and detective stories," Clough said.

Ryan then asked Clough what Tech was like 'back in the day.'

"It was more spartan back then. The campus was a lot smaller. Our life consisted of walking up the hill and back down again. There was no diversity here. Tech integrated while I was here [as a student]. Atlanta was the heart of the civil rights movement. People here on campus were cheering for [Martin Luther] King and other people in the civil rights movement," Clough said.

Clough was then asked about his view of the president's role at Tech.

"An important thing is guidence to high goals. We do not think big enough. Failure is not a bad thing if you strive for something very high. Having the right people is key," Clough said.

Clough was asked how he felt about the transition from being a student at Tech to becoming the president of the Institute.

"There's a forty year difference between the two experiences. It is great now because I do not have to take a test. It is an honor to be able to give back to a school that has given a lot to me. It is important to give back. [Giving back] is the greatest part [of being the president]," Clough said.

Clough was asked about his goal for Tech.

"I do not think Tech will ever be finished. It will always be a work in progress. With things like nano-technology, few others are doing stuff like that. Our partnership with Emory is also unique. A private school/public school partnership is unusual," Clough said.

When Ryan was finished interviewing Clough, students in the audience were able to ask Clough questions that they had on their mind.