Published since 1915 by the students
of Xavier University
Adobe founder gives advice
Courtney Gillett
Asst. Campus News Editor
Since its formation in 1982, Adobe Systems has developed into one of the leading publishing and digital software companies in the world. On Thursday, the Williams College of Business hosted its founder and Co-Chairman, Charles Geschke, as a part of their Distinguished Speakers Series at a luncheon held in Cintas Center.
After Geschke and fellow founder Dr. John Warnock secured enough funding and public interest to move the fledgling company (which manufactures programs such as Adobe Reader, Adobe Acrobat, In Design and Adobe Photoshop) out of his garage and become a leading competitor to Microsoft and Apple, they were able to adhere to certain principles that Geschke credits for making the business successful.
They decided that they wanted to build a company where they themselves would like to work; they would develop a business around intellectual capital.
There would be no purchase of mining rights. Rather, they would make their business exciting and rewarding so that the physical assets that their employees had would be willing to make a contribution to their business. Moreover, they would hire the best, particularly those who are smarter than they are, and they would thrive on innovation.
“I’ve never taken a business course,” Geschke said, “and I’ve only read one business book.”
However, Geschke insisted that it is imperative for those starting out to believe in what they are doing and to always look ahead to the market for future advances.
When they began to introduce Adobe Photoshop, there were no digital cameras available, and its critics seemed doubtful that the program would succeed.
Greschke stated, “We instinctively felt that there was a market.” Today, Adobe Systems controls approximately 95 percent of the market share in digital software.
Greschke also commented on how business can continue to maintain stability. The key to this, Greschke asserted, was learning to “balance the four constituencies of cost, share, employees and the communities in which we operate.” He also said that if a business is still having problems doing that, then they should look to their customers. “Treat customers like you would like to be treated.”
Geschke said that he adopted this principle from his mentors, Dave Packard and Bill Hewlett, the founders of the computer company, HP. Their main goal was to make sure that the customer was treated with the utmost respect and concern.
However, to those who remain skeptical and who might wonder whether putting the customer first should be their business’s primary concern, Greschke commented that this can be answered by looking at the public response from clients and counterparts.
He recalled that at a CEEBO conference in 1989, the attendees, who consisted of clients and other members of the print and publishing community, had to vote on whether they preferred to see Microsoft and Apple prevail as technological companies as opposed to Adobe.
They voted in favor of Adobe.
“We had gained their respect,” Greschke said. “Our principles were paying us back.”
As a result, their company has continued to grow worldwide as a leader in software, and more importantly, in customer service.
Despite Adobe’s success, Greschke said that among the things that keep him up at night is his concern about America’s position in expending investments on basic research. The U.S. is falling behind China and South Korea, whose funding for research over the past several years has increased by 10 percent annually.
Greschke also noted that while the U.S. might lead the world in research and development, with 34 percent, it still trails behind Iceland when it comes to measuring the two elements as a share of the economy.
“Iceland? I didn’t even know they did research,” Greschke joked.
Many people might believe that most successful business people only care about making money. However, Greschke contradicts that notion, stating that he has valued, “Honest to God,… building something that billions of people will be able to use.” He said that there was no greater reward than “having somebody come up to meet me and shake my hand,” and comment on how an Adobe program has made things easier for them in some way or the other.”
More importantly, Greschke said that he was motivated by his father, an engraver, who valued producing quality in his work.
In response to an entrepreneurial major, Greschke stated that the best advice that he can give is that if you desire to become a successful business person, you should “learn how to speak effectively, learn to write and learn to sell your ideas.” And, he added, “Take as many liberal arts courses as you can.”
Greschke retired from being the president of Adobe Systems in 2000, and, along with Warnock, co-chairs the board of directors and overseers the management of the company.
Professor Profile: Dr. David Loy
Tyler Burgei
Contributing Writer
This week’s professor profile is on Dr. David Loy, a visiting professor who helps with the E/RS committee. He focuses on Buddhism and lived in Japan, where he studied and practiced Buddhism for a large part of his life. His experience has contributed to the academic realm of the E/RS curriculum and he inspires students to take a look at a different religion than most are used to.
Q. What year did you begin teaching at Xavier?
A. I began teaching last January. I lived in Japan for the last 15 years practicing Zen Buddhism and seven years in Singapore before that.
Q. What classes have you taught here at XU?
A. I have taught Buddhist Social Theory (a general, introductory course to Buddhism) and Spiritual Fantasies.
Q. How are you involved with the Xavier community outside of class?
A. Every Tuesday, from 5 to 6 p.m., I lead a meditation group at the Bellarmine Parish House (across the street from Bellarmine Chapel). I am also involved with various Buddhist groups, but those are more for the public, rather than exclusively for those at Xavier.
Q. Please comment on E/RS courses and how they contribute to the liberal arts curriculum.
A. Xavier is very progressive and is fortunate to have such a program – it is one of the most innovative programs I have ever seen in the nation. While other universities in the U.S. are seen more as a higher form of “job training,” this Jesuit university is good at focusing on larger, broader questions; it should be, since college is the best time to ask questions about who we are.
Q. Would you say that it is a responsibility, a privilege, or a right of Xavier students to integrate E/RS-focused courses into their curriculum?
A. Definitely all of the above. Xavier University has a heavy core curriculum, and I appreciate and respect that. I feel that E/RS courses are well-integrated into the core and encourage students to challenge and educate themselves in a wide range of ethical courses.
Q. Do you have any publications?
A. I have four or five books on comparative philosophy in religion, most of which have something to do with Buddhism. My goal is to bring Buddhist perspectives into modern American culture and to see how they can contribute to important issues facing us today.
Q. Is there anything you’d like to share about your family and your interests outside of teaching?
A. Of course. I have a wife who is British and a son. Neither had lived in the United States before we moved here from Japan. I enjoy traveling (I’m off to South Africa later this year), backpacking and trekking in the Pyrenees Mountains with my son.
Q. Is there anything else you’d like to say?
A. Sure. It’s nice to be at Xavier, and I am very impressed by the academic environment here.
Police Notes
Feb. 14—A student reported having received a threatening email from another student in Norwood. Norwood Police was notified.
Feb. 14, 2:54 p.m.—Campus Police and Cincinnati Fire responded to a fire alarm that was activated in the Commons. Investigators found food burning on a first floor apartment stove to be the cause of the alarm.
Feb. 15, 6:25 p.m.—A student reported the theft of a cell phone from the cafeteria.
Feb. 18, 7:49 p.m.—Campus Police assisted a student who was locked between two sets of doors in the Cohen Center.
Feb. 19, 4:30 p.m.—A student reported the theft of a room key from the O’Connor Sports Center locker room.
Police Note of the Week
Feb. 14—After receiving an email for the request, police assisted a Xavier alum in proposing to his girlfriend behind MacDonald Library.
Kelly Shaw 
Campus News Editor
Athenaeum submissions
Would you like to be published? Please submit your original prose, poetry or artwork to the Athenaeum by March 15, 2007. Articles can be submitted to the SGA Office, Hinkle Faculty Services Desk or to groenta@xavier.edu. For more information, contact Tiffany Groen at groenta@xavier.edu
Free tax prep on campus
Need help with your taxes? On Monday, Feb. 26, students in the Accounting Department will be available to assist Xavier students and other members of the public in preparing their taxes, free of charge. For more information, email Ali Mirolo at miroloaa@xavier.edu or call at 614-795-0012.
X-Action applications
The X-Action Organization and the Office of Student Involvement and Leadership invite students to apply to become a member of the X-Action Leadership Team for the 2007-08 academic year. The application form can be found on the portal and should be completed and returned by 5 p.m. on Friday to the Office of Student Involvement and Leadership in GSC, room 320.
Freshmen, sophomores and juniors are encouraged to join one of the largest student-run organizations on campus, which focuses on providing volunteer opportunities for Xavier students at varying commitment levels. Contact Sara Thomas for more information at xaction@xavier.edu.
Interview workshop
Are you nervous about going into an interview? If you would like to learn the dos and don’ts of the interview process, you are invited to attend an interview workshop at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 22 in GSC, room 330. Free food and drinks will be served. Contact the Career Services Center at csc@xavier.edu for more information.
“Paths to Medicine” presentation
Join the Ernest E. Just Society from 5-6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 27 in the Schott Hall Presentation Room for a panel presentation on the theme, “Paths to Medicine.” The panel is comprised of accomplished Cincinnati physicians and a medical student, who will discuss their roads to the medical profession. The event is presented by the departments of biology, chemistry and physics, and the Offices of Multicultural Affairs, Diversity and Academic Advising.
Relay for Life
Are you interested in finding out more about Relay For Life? Stop by Gallagher this Friday between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. Information about the event will be available, and you will be able to sign up yourself or a team on a laptop. If you are interested in becoming or already are a team captain for Relay, there will be a meeting at 8 p.m on Monday, Jan. 22. in the Clocktower Lounge. This will be followed by a Planning Committee meeting at 9 p.m.
NASPA fellows presentation
The Office of Multicultural Affairs is pleased to announce that their NASPA (National Association of Student Personnel Administrators) Fellows, seniors Najmah Ahmad and Aaron Parker, will offer presentations detailing their impressions and experiences as participants in the Fellowship Program. The event takes place from 3-5 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 28 in the second floor conference room of Schott Hall. Ahmad will discuss “Student Affairs: From Theory to Practice, a Total eXperience” and Parker will present “Coming Full Circle: My Journey Through Student Affairs.” RSVP by contacting Amy Goetz at goetza@xavier.edu or 513-745-3181 if you plan to attend.
Freedom center exhibit
Discounted tickets are available to the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center’s new exhibit, “Invisible: Slavery Today,” currently on display until Wednesday, Feb. 28. Tickets are available through the department of psychology. Contact Dr. Cathy McDaniels Wilson at mcdanielswilson@xavier.edu or 513-745-3072 for more information.
