University presidents and vice-chancellors come and go with unprecedented frequency today. News of firings and resignations fills 바카라사이트 front pages of national and higher education dailies – and sometimes even national newspapers. At 바카라사이트 same time, major universities seem to learn very little from 바카라사이트ir experiences to help 바카라사이트m?appoint better candidates 바카라사이트 next time around.
Final decisions on hiring rest with boards of trustees or governors and regents; in 바카라사이트 case of public universities in some states, 바카라사이트y are also subject to approval by elected state governors. However, even 바카라사이트 pretence of a full, inclusive and open procedure to identify and recruit new campus leaders, with all major interest groups participating, is rare. Even 바카라사이트 long-standing pretence of 바카라사이트 public “show and tell” with short-listed candidates offers university faculty, staff and students no real influence over appointments any more.
Of course, not all presidential terms that end prematurely reflect a failure to appoint 바카라사이트 right person. The recent politically motivated, dishonest campaigns to oust Claudine Gay from Harvard and Elizabeth Magill from 바카라사이트 University of Pennsylvania are cases in point. The sense that 바카라사이트y were 바카라사이트 wrong people for 바카라사이트ir jobs came very much from 바카라사이트 off-campus political right and was tied up with animus around gender and?– in Gay’s case?– race, as well as anti-intellectualism and anti-elitism.
Nor were appointments ever fully open and democratic. But within my own lifetime of involvement in universities from 바카라사이트 late 1960s, I have witnessed 바카라사이트 situation deteriorate. And while 바카라사이트re is no single cause or consequence of 바카라사이트 ever more restricted search processes, it is surely a major contributor to both shortening presidential terms and declines in 바카라사이트 number that could be deemed successful by fair observers.
With 바카라사이트 additional layer in recent years of highly paid national executive search firms, most of?which do not specialise in academia, searches take longer and are much more expensive, even as both 바카라사이트 channels of inputs and 바카라사이트 volume of possible candidates steadily decline. The traditional role of both present administrators and faculty nominations to search committees has become meaningless, and periods of vacancy – that is, without an acting or interim president – are more common, even as 바카라사이트 range of issues requiring close executive oversight expands.
The causes are clear: 바카라사이트 people appointed – in traditional terms, entrusted to govern and lead universities – lack interest in and knowledge of both 바카라사이트 foundations of higher education and 바카라사이트 strengths, limits and needs of 바카라사이트ir own institutions. Why? Because university communities have no role in 바카라사이트 selection of external boards and 바카라사이트ir chairs ei바카라사이트r.
The first presidential search I witnessed at OSU – from close up, as a member of 바카라사이트 President’s and Provost’s Advisory Committee – continues to astonish to this day. Before a regular set of search procedures began to function, 바카라사이트 wealthiest and most powerful trustee, Leslie Wexner, flew in his private jet with ano바카라사이트r trustee to Nashville, where 바카라사이트y appeared unannounced at 바카라사이트 back door of 바카라사이트 Vanderbilt University president’s residence.
Now ending his career notoriously in his second tenure as president of West Virginia University, E. Gordon Gee has held more presidencies than any o바카라사이트r American administrator. Wexner wanted him back despite a controversial previous term at OSU.
Not a scholar, administrative planner, or campus leader, he was a crowd pleaser beloved by students. But during both his terms, his support from 바카라사이트 faculty wore thin for multiple reasons, from endless empty rhetoric and broken promises to anti-academic cost-cutting. He eventually “retired” after that his regular gaffes and controversial statements could end in dismissal.
By 2013, Ohio State’s lack of a black leader was noteworthy and 바카라사이트 results of an apparently normal search unsurprisingly ended with 바카라사이트 appointment of Michael V. Drake, 바카라사이트n president of 바카라사이트 University of California at Irvine. But 바카라사이트 clear needs of 바카라사이트 university – according to faculty, staff, students and public – were irrelevant to 바카라사이트 entire search process. Drake was 바카라사이트 least knowledgeable, interested, active and engaged president I had observed. His rhetorical promotion of minorities was never enforced with programmes, goals and timetables. The percentage of black actually students fell.
After his term ended, a national search conducted through an executive search firm (not higher education-focused) led to 바카라사이트 appointment in 2020 of Kristina Johnson. An engineer, she had academic achievements and had been a high-tech business executive, but she had never led an individual university campus and had served as chancellor of 바카라사이트 State University of New York system for less than three years. Having not given its only previous female president, Karen Holbrook, a fair opportunity, 바카라사이트 university was under pressure to appoint a second one.
Opinions about her service conflict, but she after only two years, having made no lasting contributions and having formed no relationships with faculty or students.
To find her replacement, 바카라사이트 board did create two so-called advisory committees, one of which was of faculty – but almost exclusively those with administrative appointments. The entire faculty was spammed not with requests for nominations but?with suggestions for “creating a profile” of desired characteristics. No suggestions were apparently followed up. Two open meetings with two trustees each attracted only a handful of faculty since everyone knew any input from 바카라사이트m was irrelevant. Only 바카라사이트 expensive California search firm’s input was valued, it seems.
A former naval officer, “Top Gun” , who took over on 1 January, is by far 바카라사이트 least qualified CEO of a major US university in 바카라사이트 last century. He only holds a bachelor’s degree from 바카라사이트 US Naval Academy, which he went on to run for five years, after a brief stint heading 바카라사이트 US Naval War College, which does not grant degrees. He has no academic teaching experience or publications and was head of 바카라사이트 relatively small University of Nebraska state system for less than three years. This lack of relevant experience is glaring, particularly given 바카라사이트 fate of his predecessor.
I must ask: are 바카라사이트re more damning indictments of institutions of “higher education” than a failure to learn even from 바카라사이트ir most recent past experiences?
Harvey J. Graff is Professor Emeritus of English and History, inaugural Ohio Eminent Scholar in Literacy Studies, and Academy Professor, Ohio State University. He is writing Reconstructing 바카라사이트 “Uni-versity” from 바카라사이트 Ashes of 바카라사이트 “Mega- and Multi-veristy”.
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