Eastern presidential finalist Livingston Alexander’s integrity and availability will be major assets in developing strong relationships with the campus and community, the candidate said during an interview Tuesday.

“I am very genuine and very honest when developing and sustaining good relationships,” Alexander said, noting the importance of campus-community relations.

Alexander, currently the vice president for academic affairs at Kean University in Union, N.J., said it is essential to be available for students, faculty and administration on campus in order “to serve university needs.” He also said as president he would need to “meet face to face with leaders in the community” to open Eastern’s campus to the surrounding area and seek funding from potential donors.

“I will try to recruit more corporations to the area and try to keep more Eastern graduates in the region.”

Minority enrollment is another issue Alexander said he hopes to improve.

Alexander said he would “renew the connection with alumni of color and ask them how to identify prospective minority students.”

“I would also be surveying students to find out what strikes their fancy,” he said.

Making the campus more attractive is something Alexander would “ask students to work proactively” on to provide feedback.

“I would do whatever is possible to make the campus inviting,” he said.

Alexander said he has spent some time “really studying what this university is all about, and I feel that I am a perfect match with the institution.”

During an open interview with faculty, Alexander spoke on the budget crisis in Illinois and a similar situation in New Jersey. This year, Eastern is absorbing $2.3 million in cuts to its operating budget, and Alexander said Kean lost $2.8 million, a cut that will more than double next year.

“Its not a challenge that can’t be addressed constructively,” Alexander said. “I’m willing to join the team and move the university through this major financial crisis.”

Kean dealt with the cuts in some of the same ways Eastern did. Both universities left some vacated positions open while trying to preserve academic quality They also saved on some one-time spending. Kean also managed to increase its base budget by over $2.5 million over the last couple years through lobbying, much of which was unallocated and used toward the cut.

Alexander said he dealt with tough financial decisions as vice president for academic affairs at Troy State University in Montgomery, Ala., a school specializing in evening adult education. When the dean of university’s math division resigned, Alexander was forced to decide whether to try and fill the position or combine the math division with the business division. Alexander said he decided to combine the divisions after gathering the opinions of faculty and students.