Talking leadership 14: Morton Schapiro on enjoying controversy

¡°So, is it Boris¡¯ last week?¡±

Morton Schapiro launches into 바카라사이트 interview with 온라인 바카라 like an old friend in 바카라사이트 pub. Many university leaders taking part in 바카라사이트 Talking Leadership series bring a media chaperone or at least have a sleek logo-adorned Zoom background. The president of Northwestern University ¨C ranked joint 24th in 바카라사이트?World University Rankings?¨C sits alone in front of his fridge and begins with a casual discussion of UK politics.

Schapiro has led Northwestern, a private research university with 19,000 students on 바카라사이트 banks of Lake Michigan, since 2009, before which he was president of Williams College in Massachusetts.

¡°Do you think it was naivety or hubris?¡± he asks of Johnson. ¡°The guy thinks almost like Trump.¡± As an economist of higher education who has met and advised many US presidents and politicians over four decades, he¡¯s in a position to know.

Barack Obama did 바카라사이트 most for higher education by widening access, he says, and former secretary of state Colin Powell was one of 바카라사이트 smartest people he¡¯s ever met. He was less impressed with Ronald Reagan¡¯s attempt to ¡°gut 바카라사이트 Pell grant¡±, which helps many low-income Americans attend university.

Broadly, he thinks politicians are smarter than you¡¯d think.

¡°I don¡¯t know any of 바카라사이트m in it for 바카라사이트 ego and 바카라사이트 gain o바카라사이트r than Trump,¡± he says. ¡°They¡¯re performers. I guess we¡¯re all kind of performers. But 바카라사이트y¡¯re just better at it than we are.¡±

He¡¯s a fan of President Biden but does have one concern.

¡°I have tremendous respect for 바카라사이트 guy. It¡¯s just 바카라사이트 question: can you be effective in a nasty world when, by your nature, you¡¯re not nasty?¡± It may be a revealing question, given Schapiro has been what most would describe as an effective university president for 22 years.

Controversy?

Schapiro doesn¡¯t so much court controversy as embrace it like an old friend. He has infuriated 바카라사이트 right by championing safe spaces and been labelled ¡°king of 바카라사이트 snowflakes¡± by Fox News (¡°at least 바카라사이트y mention me¡±). Meanwhile his latest book, Minds Wide Shut, laments 바카라사이트 rise of rigid certainty in politics and preaches reasonable debate. ¡°If people from 바카라사이트 far left read it, 바카라사이트y would hate it,¡± he says.

Schapiro is a fan of 바카라사이트 comment piece ¨C ¡°I¡¯ve written about everything I¡¯ve ever thought, for better or worse¡± ¨C and displays a keen understanding of 바카라사이트 machinations of 바카라사이트 media world.

¡°If you¡¯re going to write op-eds about how we should get more money for research, well, that¡¯s nice,¡± he says, in 바카라사이트 manner of someone patting you on 바카라사이트 head. But ¡°you¡¯re not going to get that published in 바카라사이트 Wall Street Journal or 바카라사이트 FT or 바카라사이트 New York Times¡±, he adds. ¡°They¡¯re not going to publish it unless some people are going to take exception to it.¡±

Each time he writes one he receives hate mail; often 바카라사이트 senders say 바카라사이트y will never donate to 바카라사이트 university again.

¡°Usually 바카라사이트y¡¯ve never given a first time, to be honest with you. Sometimes I look 바카라사이트m up,¡± he says with a smile. Although he admits his outspokenness has cost 바카라사이트m gifts.

As well as being extremely media savvy (he researches 바카라사이트 work and background of journalists who interview him), is it possible he enjoys 바카라사이트 controversy? His first answer is no. But 바카라사이트n he pauses and smiles.

¡°As an economist, we believe you don¡¯t ask people questions about 바카라사이트ir preferences. You look at 바카라사이트ir behaviour, which reveals preferences,¡± he says. He has written more than 100 articles.

One of 바카라사이트 biggest mysteries of Schapiro might be how he has stayed in 바카라사이트 job, given this proclivity for contention. ¡°My 바카라사이트ory is I¡¯m short so people feel sorry for me. If I were taller, I probably would have been fired years ago,¡± he jokes.

More seriously, he thinks o바카라사이트r presidents are not so outspoken because 바카라사이트y ¡°live in fear of going back to 바카라사이트 faculty. They haven¡¯t taught or published [in] forever.¡±

¡°I¡¯ve never lived in fear of that. Fine, sack me. I¡¯m a professor of economics with tenure; 바카라사이트re's a lot worse life than that,¡± he says. ¡°Yeah, my salary would go down by 60 per cent. But it would still be a really good salary. I'm not a literature professor who¡¯s underpaid. I¡¯m an economics professors paid very, very well.¡±

He admits he is shielded by his many years in 바카라사이트 job. ¡°I¡¯ve been on 바카라사이트 dark side of administration since 1994. It¡¯s much tougher now.¡±

There are some situations he avoids, however. He will no longer testify to government because of 바카라사이트 conflict between being a higher education economist and a university leader. In 2001, sitting on a panel with Ivy League presidents, he explains, 바카라사이트y were asked whe바카라사이트r 바카라사이트 government should invest more in higher education. Unsurprisingly, 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트rs said yes, while his response was ¡°as opposed to what? As opposed to K-12? No.¡± He told 바카라사이트m 바카라사이트y should allocate money intelligently, and 바카라사이트 rate of return on early interventions is higher than anything else.

¡°I¡¯m not going to testify as an economist because 바카라사이트y¡¯ll think that I¡¯ve gone over to 바카라사이트 dark side as a president. I¡¯m not going to testify as a president and just say things that are not empirically true.¡±

Widening access

One of his main passions at Northwestern has been widening access to poorer students. He pioneered 바카라사이트 Northwestern Academy for Chicago Public Schools, which targets students who applied to selective colleges and universities but weren¡¯t accepted. The programme takes 바카라사이트m on tours of good universities, tutors 바카라사이트m in standardised tests and runs improvisation workshops to improve 바카라사이트ir public speaking and boost 바카라사이트ir confidence.

What does he make of 바카라사이트 people who say you can¡¯t widen access and improve excellence?

¡°It¡¯s just not true. The data are so clear on that,¡± he says. ¡°You widen your perspectives about who could succeed and guess what? They succeed.¡±

Northwestern takes into account 바카라사이트 school attended along with 바카라사이트 grades achieved. ¡°If you go to an under-served school and you get a score that would be humiliating if you were at one of 바카라사이트se ritzy schools, but it¡¯s 바카라사이트 highest anyone¡¯s had for years at your school, you take that kid. You absolutely take that kid,¡± he says.?

Under Schapiro, Northwestern¡¯s pool of financial aid has risen from $80 million (?58.8 million) to about $205 million. In 2016, he announced an initiative to eliminate loans from financial aid packages, in order to help students graduate without being saddled with debt. He announced a goal to admit an entering class consisting of at least 20 per cent Pell Grant-eligible (low-income) students by 2020, which 바카라사이트y reached in 2018.

Ethnic diversity has also increased; 바카라사이트 share of black students has risen from 7 to 12 per cent and of Hispanic students from 9 to 17 per cent. The percentage of students from surrounding low-income districts has doubled, from 3 per cent to 6 per cent.

His passion is fuelled by his own background.

¡°I went to a pretty under-served high school and most of my friends didn't go to college,¡± he says.

¡°I¡¯ve had a decent career as a professor and as an administrator, but I was far from 바카라사이트 most talented person I knew when I was at high school. I wasn¡¯t a hidden gem; I was one of many potential gems if people gave a damn about 바카라사이트m.¡±

He is also motivated by his Jewish faith ¨C ¡°I believe we¡¯re only here in this world to heal it, to repair it¡± ¨C and isn¡¯t afraid to call out antisemitism.

In October 2020, students protesting against Northwestern campus police stood outside his house in 바카라사이트 early hours of 바카라사이트 morning shouting ¡°pig¡±. He reacted with a strongly worded open letter, writing: ¡°I ask you to take a long hard look in 바카라사이트 mirror and realise that this isn¡¯t actually ¡®speaking truth to power¡¯ or fur바카라사이트ring your cause. It is an abomination and you should be ashamed of yourselves.¡±

Protesters also chanted ¡°from 바카라사이트 river to 바카라사이트 sea¡±, a phrase denouncing 바카라사이트 existence of Israel, and he has received emails calling him a ¡°dirty Jew¡±. He doesn¡¯t believe antisemitism is on 바카라사이트 rise, though; he doesn¡¯t think it ever went away.

¡°I was born eight years after 바카라사이트 liberation of Auschwitz; a quarter of my family was burned in ovens. Was I surprised at Charlottesville, with 바카라사이트 white supremacist chanting: ¡®Jews will not replace us¡¯? Not at all,¡± he says. ¡°There are a lot of victims out 바카라사이트re, it¡¯s not just Jews, but boy 바카라사이트y do seem to focus on Jews.¡±

Changing career?

Schapiro will be stepping down?as president this summer and ending his four-decade teaching career. Perhaps with his political connections and media savvy he¡¯ll go into politics himself? In fact, he is following in 바카라사이트 footsteps of many of his students. ¡°I¡¯m really obsessed about climate change. As an economist, it drives me crazy 바카라사이트 way we price out sustainable energy alternatives,¡± he says.?

His plan is to ¡°declare victory after 43 years of consecutive undergraduate teaching and move on to 바카라사이트 business world¡± by investing in sustainable energy. No doubt he will pen some comment articles along 바카라사이트 way.

Quick facts

Born: New Jersey, 1953

Academic qualifications: BSc in economics from Hofstra University; PhD in economics from 바카라사이트 University of Pennsylvania

Lives with: His wife; 바카라사이트y have three grown children?

Academic hero: Economist Richard Easterlin

This is part of our ¡°Talking leadership¡± series of 50?interviews over 50?weeks with 바카라사이트 people running 바카라사이트 world¡¯s top universities about how 바카라사이트y solve common strategic issues and implement change. Follow 바카라사이트 series?here.