r- Editor's Letter Wayne State's Jewish Presence W We always have room for free speech, but we have no room for hen Irvin Reid steps down as the ninth president of Wayne State University next spring, the Detroit the rhetoric of hatred!' The private meeting followed a tense week that included the Jewish community will lose a friend. He supports and values what Jewish Detroit stands for and the historic role non-campus group Anti Racist Action holding "Palestinian Land Day." ARA called for Wayne to divest from multinational that it has played in Wayne's growth, both physically and in companies doing business in Israel, paraded the Nazi swastika academic stature. and urged the end of the Jewish state. Dr. Reid knows the Jewish commu- nity has prospered in part because of the education many Jews have received Hostile Moments at Wayne. But he realizes the university Wayne, a microcosm of the world, is not alone in seeking to promote ideas but also curb hostility. It's a national campus no longer is the first choice for Jewish concern. students like it once was. So he's com- Just last week, the university formed a planning team mitted to raising Jewish enrollment that included administrative, campus police, Hillel of Metro from 500-plus students. Detroit and student representation to assure the safety of Historically, Wayne has reflected Jewish students — but not prevent free speech. Impetus the heart and soul of Jewish Detroit. for the team was Daniel Pipes' Oct. 8 talk before 150 people Jewish names dot the 33,000-student at the Undergraduate Library. Wayne's Students for Israel campus. Wayne has no choice but to and Stand WithUs-Michigan co-hosted Pipes, director of the pursue meaningful alliances that serve Jewish students and Philadelphia-based Middle East Forum and a counterterror- help keep them in Metro Detroit. Reid, 66, will retire from Wayne after 10 productive years of ism analyst who has taken Islam's worldview to task. ARA congregated to protest the speaker; police removed service. Under his stewardship, Wayne doubled the number one of its leaders who kept interrupting despite of residential students, expanded the honors warnings to cease. The collaborative approach program, improved campus facilities and held a toward security requires refinement, but it serves $500 million-plus capital campaign. It also was as a guidepost for handling future contentious selected as a Partnership for the Advancement events on campus. Some Jewish students still feel of Collaborative Engineering Education institu- that Wayne gives ARA too much leeway. tion. Further, Wayne opened the Perinatology Reid understands that as Wayne's relation- Research Branch of the National Institutes of ship with the Jewish community goes, so goes Health. And it created TechTown, Detroit's only the university to a degree. He balances that with research/technology park and entrepreneurial serving the other constituent groups at the urban incubator. Rock Financial/Quicken Loan's Dan university. Reid's predecessor, David Adamany, Gilbert, a savvy businessman, tapped WSU to Dr. Irvin Rei d also embraced this important balancing act. The house Bizdom U. difference is that Adamany was much more of an Under Reid's ambassadorship, Wayne is now more of an international leader in academics and research. It's academician while Reid has been much more of a strategist and marketer. also a real economic engine for Detroit and Michigan. > Jewish Underpinnings I got to know Reid when he visited with Detroit Jewish lead- ers Max Fisher and David Hermelin and Israeli statesman Shimon Peres at the Franklin home of Fisher's daughter, Jane Sherman, in 2000. Reid took the time to grill his imposing hosts about Israel's challenges, needs and dreams. Believe it when this Jewish National Fund Tree of Life Award winner says the bridges of collaboration and coopera- tion that he has sought to build with the Jewish community will continue to expand. I would wonder about a president of our largest local university who didn't want that. In the last few years, anti-Israel rallies have catapulted the Detroit campus into the public glare. At times, Jewish students have felt the rallies threatened their safety. Last April, after Jewish students and several administrators met in a private meeting to discuss student concerns about rising anti-Jewish sentiment, Reid, though belatedly, wrote a thoughtful letter to the student newspaper, the South End. His letter defended the entitlement "of academic freedom and free expression, tempered by tolerance and respect!' It added, "But we do not condone those who advocate harm to another race, nationality or ethnic or religious group, nor can we allow the distortion of history to serve a political agenda. Moving Forward Eugene Driker is chair and Richard Bernstein is vice chair of Wayne's Board of Governors. So the next campus president will be well versed not only in the unique relationship that has been cultivated with the Jewish community, but also the mul- tiple opportunities to bolster this relationship. The presidential handoff will be aided by Reid's direc- tive calling for Dean of Students David Strauss to launch a respect" campaign to underscore Wayne State University's conviction that all students have the right to learn in a respectful environment. Let's hope this campaign moderates protests, sparks dialogue and installs building blocks for trust amid Wayne's multiculturalism. That's a tall order. But it's one that must be filled given the troubling tenor of our times. I * 111Lie Islam hi 414/11 G 1141111111141111111.1141 NM MUM jar C 28th Annual • ■ • soC,•e#Vtl•RaYi#D#S#P SUNDAY DEC 2 • 1 PM MATINEE #ii•ARY1, 1■ 4•#11•••••••• 4116 •* DETROIT OPERA HOUSE For individual or corporate sponsorship information, contact Eric Adelman 248.538.6610 x 343 ericadelman@ jarc.org CC Season Ticket Holders: For information on exchanging season tickets, contact Judy Burnett 0 • What's your take on Wayne's outreach to CC the Jewish community? tn w • p Z z O D a. 0- What else can Wayne do to command Jewish Detroit's radar? 248538.6610 x304 judyburnett@jarc.org 30301 Northwestern Suite 100 Farmington Hills, MI 48334 www.jarc.org 1252 October 11 . 2007 5