IMSA's new president discusses his first year

From sharing teaching strategies statewide to exploring sustainable energy, Glenn "Max" McGee wants to ensure the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy is on the cutting edge of education.

Just a year into his job as the Aurora school's president, McGee also has made it a priority to get to know the students both academically and personally - and has a Facebook page and new dance moves to show for it.

The 650 students in grades 10 through 12 are some of the state's brightest young minds, and McGee believes they have the potential to change the world while the school itself becomes a model for other districts.

A former state superintendent of education, McGee is IMSA's second president since the school opened in 1986.

He recently sat down with the Daily Herald to discuss his first year at the school. This is the first of two installments of an edited version of that conversation.

Q. How was your first year at IMSA? You had some big shoes to fill.

A. I did. I think I filled them and kept them moving. This has just been an exciting year. I can't wait to get to work every day. A few things I've learned is the students are brighter, more engaged, more concerned about making the world a better place for others than I ever imagined. They are truly special individuals. I've gotten to know probably about half of them on a first-name basis, so it's been really a great experience to spend some time with them, talk with them. I stay in one dorm a month - so I've had the opportunity to get to know them not just as scholars but as real people as well.

Probably the second thing that's impressed me most is this whole residential life aspect and what a significant part it plays in a student's life here. Not just for the students here, but the alumni as well. When I talk to them about what prepared you for your profession, what prepared you to be the person you are, they all talk about residential life, being here 24 hours a day, learning how to solve problems without my parents solving it.

The diversity aspect is really important to them, learning how to care for others. It's a good dose of humility. Many of these students were the shining stars of their old schools and when they come here they are just one of many.

Probably the third piece is how essential it is for IMSA to support local schools and districts in math and science education. As state superintendent, I crisscrossed the state many times and have a lot of great relationships across the state. But from the first day I got this job I've been getting calls, I've been talking to people (who say) come visit, can you guys help us, what can we do to improve math and science teaching and learning.

There's a really serious need for the state, and not just for the gifted and talented kids, although that's primarily where the calls come from at first. "How can we challenge our top students, we don't have the resources, there's no more state money for the gifted, can you help us out."

But then it's really gotten even more than that. We realize that if our students don't have the mathematical skills, if they don't have a sense of science and how it works and scientific method, they won't be able to do well. They won't be able to do well in college, they won't be able to do well with daily life.

I think we have a significant responsibility to really do what we can to support Illinois schools and districts and beyond.

Q. How much time to you spend with students outside the classroom, and why is that so important to you?

A. The overnight stays are the best because, really, I just sit in the office and the students want to come in and talk and they want to be active, so we've played dodge ball - we've played capture the flag, running around out here. Occasionally they want to teach me how to do contemporary line dances beyond the Charlie Brown, which is a real challenge for the girls, "We're going to show you how to do Soulja Boy." I go, "OK, let's try it. Just don't put this on YouTube."

They love to talk. They know politics is a big part of my life and they love to talk politics. They love to talk about travel, they really want to know about education, some social science issues. I feel like I'm back in college when I'm with these students.

It's really the full range. I've been able to help a few students through individual counseling of problems of a somewhat serious nature.

That's how I learned to do Facebook, staying in the dorm. What I've really appreciated about the dorms is seeing how the kids interact and work together. One of the most special attributes of IMSA is the racial and ethnic diversity and the free flow and mixture among the students really without regard to race. They see each other as IMSA students.

As far as the activities, we don't win a lot of games here, but I try to get to at least one athletic contest for each team. Although we don't win a lot, it's not for lack of effort. Few things make me happier than seeing our students wear the school uniform. Probably 150 out of 650 students are in some kind of instrumental music. The instrumental music concerts are just outstanding.

I have my own son in high school, so it makes it a little more personal to see these young men and women really coming into their own and performing, whether it's sports, whether it's a special assembly, whether it's concerts, and you see them grow before your very eyes in their self-assurance, their self-reliance, their empathy and their commitment to each other.

Q. What has been your biggest challenge this year?

A. The biggest challenge was really making the transition from school superintendent of an elementary district to really the higher education model here. It's a different job.

The superintendent's job, especially in a larger district, has some significant challenges with funding, obviously with parent issues. Here, (it) really is part of a state agency where you're getting back into the politics of a state agency, which I love.

I thrive on politics. So it was really a welcome change to come back and make these presentations to the legislature and meet with the governor a few times and legislative leaders.

But also to go out and see what we as a state agency can do to support other schools and districts to improve math and science. When you're a superintendent of a district, you're really focused on your own district, whereas here you're focused on the institution, but this institution really has a greater calling.

Part of its legislative charge is to stimulate - excellence in math and science education across Illinois. The new strategic plan here is a challenge, and an exciting challenge. We're defining ourselves as a teaching and learning laboratory for imagination and inquiry, so what does that mean?

It means you can do things really differently than you do in a public school system. We talk a lot here about part of our mission is igniting and nurturing creative, ethical, scientific minds that advance the human condition. When you're an elementary superintendent you think these kids will be the leaders someday, but when you're at IMSA, these students will be the leaders of tomorrow, tomorrow.

Q. Are there any specific IMSA programs other districts are modeling?

A. I think other districts are starting to look at some things differently about senior year in high school. In fact, I've been able to learn a few things from other districts, as well.

For example, one of our strategies of our strategic plan is to help kids develop personalized learning plans. As part of that strategy we're having a pilot on what we call senior capstone projects next year, so students as seniors spend most of the year working on this seminal project that brings in different kinds of learning. We're excited about that. I know New Trier is working on something similar.

I think we're - trying to have science instruction look more like real science than school science. I think that message is starting to sink in as we do our teacher workshops across the state based on what we call problem-based learning or problem-centered learning.

There's just such an enormous demand for it, it's really taking off. And our biggest challenge will be to scale up to meet the demand. We're excited about these problem-centered learning activities. We have a workshop right now in Carbondale this summer. We're going into the Metro East area next.

These are things we used to do just on the Aurora campus. We're having the Western suburbs, maybe eight or nine districts, here for professional development day next November. So it's an exciting time.