Photo via MTSU
Charles Lowe is the third and last candidate to be interviewed in an open campus forum in the Sam H. Ingram building on Middle Tennessee State University on Monday at 11:00 a.m.
“I’d like to start off by saying that university policing is my actual chosen profession,” said Lowe, who has been a part of campus law enforcement since 1996.
Continuing, Lowe stated, “I didn’t know a lot about university policing [at first], but that’s where I found out that I had found my niche. Where I found that my future career was going to be in university policing.”
Lowe is interested in the police chief position at MTSU for several reasons, including his nearby family and the athletics department at MTSU.
“I had a niece who actually went to school here at MTSU, and she loved it. In fact, she was the one who told me, ‘You really got to get a job at MTSU. You’d just love it there. It’s such a great place to be.’ So when I saw that the job had become open, it was very intriguing to me.”
Family, sports and a glowing recommendation, MTSU still had other aspects that attracted Lowe.
“I’m also interested in coming to a school that’s bigger than the one I’m at now. I’d like to scale up a little bit,” told Lowe.
With a larger campus comes more departments, which Lowe said is one of his top goals.
“I think that one of my first tasks is to go about relationship development. I’m very big on relationships. And I think that as a new employee, it’s my job to do the outreach. To go to different offices, learn about what the relationship has been like in the past, what the expectations are and what the opportunities are. But to do that would be personal outreach,” he stated.
Relationships are essential for Lowe to thrive on campus, especially when it relates to leaving a positive impact on a community.
“It’s a lot about personal outreach and developing relationships…That outreach has to take place at a variety of different levels. I talked about outreach to the local law enforcement agencies, but much more importantly is the outreach within the institution itself,” Lowe said.
Continuing, he stated, “I think it’s all about outreach and having an understanding about what the expectations are… It’s about being open and honest and listening to people.”
After serving as campus law enforcement for 25 years, Lowe seems to know how to succeed in this job. What he enjoys about it is similar as well.
“It’s the environment in which university policing takes place. The people that you’re working with…We all have something invested in the community that we’re in. We all have something to lose as well,” he answered.
“The other thing is, and it might sound a little cliche, but it’s an opportunity to protect lives. It’s something I don’t like lightly. It was one of the major attractions for me.”
In the end, what attracts Lowe towards the job isn’t nearly as important as what motivates him to keep maintaining his career.
Lowe responded, “I think the biggest thing I have that motivates me is…having an impact on people. Having a positive impact is…one of the greatest things we can do, particularly in my profession.”
Furthering his answer, he said, “I’m also one of those people that believes in continuous improvement, both in your personal life and your professional life. If I feel like I can accomplish something that will make things better, I find that highly motivational.”
After that, the forum concluded, and all candidates have been interviewed for the chief of police position at MTSU. There is no set date, but a decision is anticipated to be reached by the end of August.
To contact News Editor Toriana Williams, email [email protected].
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