Most university town hall meetings take place in windowless auditoriums. Greg Crawford, president of Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, prefers to talk to his student body during group bicycle rides around campus.

Dr. Crawford, 53, averages about 200 miles a week on his bike, often wearing a suit and tie and red and white bike helmet to match the school’s colors. He says his cycling commute is better for the environment, good for his health and a great way for him to socialize with the students and faculty. “I think the focus...