r Wednesday, September 2,'1970
THE MICHIGAN DAILY
Page Three
~ Wednesday, September 2, 1970 THE MICHIGAN DAILY Page Three
'
vice
presidents:
Administering
a
bureaucracy
By ROBERT KRAFTOWITZ
Their offices are generally
small and cluttered, giving one
the impression that the chief
duties of the University's seven
vice presidents are clerical,
rather than administrative.
Indeed, the vice presidents are
often prone to disguise the im-
portant roles they play in the
operation of the University.
Preferring to make most of their
decisions behind closed doors,
they remain out of the main-
stream of University affairs, al-
lowing President Robben Flem-
ing to inform the students and
faculty members on the Uni-
versity's policies on current
issues.
Traditionally, decision-making
in institutions of higher educa-
tion has been chiefly the prov-
ince of the faculty, with admin-_
istrators merely executing the
decisions, and plowing through
the paper work generated by
them.
But with the advent of the
multiversity, administrative au-
thority has become more and
more concentrated in the hands
of professional executives, ex-
perienced at weaving together
the numerous strands of a,
bureaucracy.
Such are the University's vice
presidents - most having con-,
siderable experience in business,
and all well-accomplished in the
art of managing a large corpora-
tion.
Their importance is, perhaps,
a function of their instrumental
role in fashioning the Univer-
sity's annual budget. Now up-.
wards of $250 million, the budget
largely determines the extent to
which the University acts as an
educational - institution, as a
center for government and cor-
porate research, and as a the-
ater for inducing ir e f o r m in
society-at-large.
And while the University's
R3gents retain the authority to
set budget priorities and approve,
all expenditures, their limited
presence in Ann Arbor forces
them to rely on the recom-
mendations of the executive of-
ficers - the vice presidents and
Fleming.
Each of the vice presidents
supervises one, or several seg-
ments of the administration, as
indicated by their titles.
Yet major decisions are us-
ually made collectively, and the
vice presidents normally hold a
closed meeting with Fleming,
lasting half of each Tuesday, to
act on matters of current im-
port'
Each month, the executive of-
ficers sit down with the Re-
gents for the better part of two
days, outline what is occurring
at the University as. they per-
ceive it, and advise the Regents
on -how they should act or react
in a given situation.
The Regents, meanwhile, place'
their implicit trust in the execu-
tive officers, and hold for most
of them a respect which is re-
flected in their hesitance to fol-
low the sometimes contrary ad-
vice of faculty members or stu-
dents.
In this context, the goal of
many students to vastly increase
their role in Uiiversity decision-
making will likely require a -will-
ingness on the part of the vice
presidents to yield a large
measure of their authority. -
* * *
The resolution of the dispute
over increased minority admis-t
sions has left STEPHEN SPURR
in a crucial position.
Appointed last November to
the newly created post of vice
president and dean of the grad-
uate school, Spurr also took over
supervision of the Office of Ad-
missions. Thus, much of his
time over the next four years
will be spent coordinating the
recruitment of enough black
students to equal 10 per cent of
the student body.
But his primary responsibility
as vice president is to coordinate
the expansion and development
of the University's Flint and
Dearborn campuses, a task
which is high on the Regents
priority list.
The newest member of the
executive officers, Spurr is per-
haps the one most open to dis-
cussing University policy mat-
ters. In the midst of the class
strike supporting the demands
.of the Black Action Movement
for increased minority enroll-
ment, Spurr was the only ex-
ecutive officer who was willing
to discuss the administration's
position with the public and
the press.
But 'the openness seems :to
stem from Spurr's oft-stated
concern that this elevation to
vice president carried with it
"a potential loss of credibility"
with students and with the Uni-
versity faculty, of which he was
a member for 20 years.
As vice president, he says,
"you become part of the mystical
group called the administration,
which is instinctively looked'
upon by many faculty members
and students as being in an ad-
versary rather than in a sup-
portive role.,
* * *
As the executive officer most
involved in shaping the Uni-
versity's annual budget, ALLAN
SMITH4 is thought to be one of
the most influential administra-
tors at the University.
His title - vice president for
academic affairs-is reflected in
his authority to approve or dis-
approve all promotions, dismis-
sals, and recruitments of faculty
members, and in his position as
the executive officer which the
deans of the 17 schools and col-
leges are directly responsible to.
But his involvement with the
schools and colleges remains
more financial than educational.
Early each fall, Smith has the
responsibility of paring down
the budgetary requests of each
academic unit and coming up
with a tentative list of expendi-
tures for the University during
the next fiscal year.
Formerly the dean of the law
school, Smith succeeded Roger
Heyns as vice president for aca-
demic affairs in 1965. Since
then, he has earned the repu-
tation of being one of the more
closed executive officers, offer-
ing to meet with students and
faculty, but hesitant to go deep-
ly into the administration's
activities.
* *
Once the Regents have ap-
proved a tentative budget for
the next fiscal year. it is the
responsibility of ARTHUR ROSS
to secure financial support from
the state to cover the projected
increases in University expendi-
tures.
And to accomplish what is
invariably a futile task, the vice
president for state relations and
planning spends much of his
time in Lansing. conferring with
influential state lgislators. and
sometimes with the governor.
Ross also coordinates much of
the University's expansion pro-
grams. which also involves se-
curing funds from a state gov-
ernment which is increasingly
reluctant tohfinance capital
construction.
Allan Smith
Wilbur Pierpont
Arthur Ross
Stephen Spurr
When Robben Fleming came
to Ann Arbor in 1968 as the
new University president, he
brought along BARBARA NE-
WELL, who was his assistant
when Fleming was chancellor of
the Madison campus of the
University of Wisconsin.
He appointed Mrs. Newell act-
ing vice president of student
affairs pending selection of a
permanent vice president from
list of candidates nominated by
a student-faculty search com-
mittee. Two years later, Mrs.
Newell is still vice president'
and the dispute over increased
student control of the Office of
Student Affairs appears to have
indefinitely delayed her replace-
ment. (See article on this page).
Despite her close friendship
with Fleming, Mrs. Newell has
been unable togain much ac-
Sceptance by the Regents, who
have expressed displeasure at
her support of Student Govern-
ment Council's original propos-
al fpr creation of a University
bookstore.
And student leaders, mean-
while, accusether of obstructing
their attempts to increase the
student role in decision-making
in the Office of Student Af-
fairs.
Now in his 20th year as vice
president and chief financial
officer, WILBUR PIERPONT
has always had considerable in-
fluence with the president and
the Regents.
Pierpont's authority stems in
part from his wealth of knowl-
edge of University operations,
an attribute which frequently
makes his presence and counsel
at high-level meetings essential.
But while he is trusted and
respected by the Regents and
top administrators, students see
him as a stumbling block in
their attempt to gain a voice in
the University hierarchy.
Their hostility toward Pier-
Pont was made clear last Octo-
ber~ during the dispute over
creation of a University book-
store. When the administration
proposed that the bookstore be
managed by Pierpont, students
involved in the dispute vocifer-
ously objected, partly out of a
distrust of the vice president.
* * *
With. classified research no
longer a major point of conten-
tion at the University, A. GEOF-
FREY NORMAN rarely gets vis-
ibly involved in campus politics.
As vice president for research,
his major duties involve secur-
ing grants from the government,
corporations, a n d foundations
Michuel Radock
Student services
VP post remains empty
By JIM NEUBA CHER
News Editor
The University administration
has been unsuccessfully seeking
a vice president for student af-
fairs for over two years now.
Last'January, a student-fac-
ulty committee presented Pres-
ident Robben Fleming with five
candidates for the new vice
presidency. But Fleming has
,t postponed his 'selection until a
dispute is resolved over the ex-
tent students will control the
new vice president's office.,
And the delay appears to
have created considerable com-
plications for the president -
four of the candidates are no
longer available for the job, and
Fleming has indicated the fifth
candidate will not be considered.
Meanwhile, the post of acting
vice president for student affairs
continues to be held by Barbara
Newell, w h o m student leaders
have often severely criticized for
not supporting their efforts to
increase the student role, in
University decision-making.
The search for a new vice
president is part of a complex
chain of events going back to
the creation of the Hatcher
Commision-a body composed
4 of students, faculty members
and administrators appointed by
f o r m e r University President
Harlan Hatcher to study the role
of students in University deci-
sion-making.
The Hatcher Commission rec-
ommended that more weight be
* given to student views, especial-
ly on those issues affecting them
directly.
With an eye toward the im-
plementation of these recom-
mendations, the Regents allow-
e an ad hoc committee of stu-
d nts and faculty members to
work for nearly a year drafting
Regents bylaws, somei of which,
defined a reorganization of the
Office of Student Affairs. When
that committee unveiled its by-
law draft, the changes proposed
were significant.
The Office of Student Affairs
* was to be renamed the Office of
Student Services (OSS), and the
change in name was to be in-
dicative of a change in spirit.
At the head of the office would
be the new vice president for
student services. Working with
him would. be a student-domin-
ated policy board, which would
make key decisions on priorities
on University housing, financial
aids, student organizations, and
other areas of direct concern to
the student body.
After the plan was outlined
by the ad hoc committee, but
before it was approved by the
Regents, Fleming appointed a
search committee of four stu-
dents and four faculty members
to interview potential candidates
for the vice presidency and to
recommend the best of the
group.
At this point students were
pleased. Their concerns had
Barbara Newell Future VP
been taken into' account thus
far, and they were being given
some influence in the crucial
selection of the person who
would. fill the vice presidency.
But their state of optimism did
not last long.
A small power struggle. en-
sued between Fleming and the
search committee. Fleming in-
sisted the search committee
recommend a number of candi-
dates from which he would make
a choice. The search committee
was split on the issue, but a
majority, led by student co-
chairman Steve Nissen, '70, in-
sisted that the committee should
nominate as many or as few
candidates as they fou'nd accept-
able.,
With that issue settled, the
committee finished its work and
presented Flemirig with a..ist of
five candidates:
Alan. Guskin, R33 a psycho-
logy lecturer in the Residential
College and a project director at'
the Institute f o r Social Re-
search;
-Carole Leland, 35, an offi-
cial of the College Entrance
Examination Board, in Wash-
ingtoin, D.C.;
-Hubert Locke, 35, director
of the Office of Religious Af-
fairs at Wayne State Univer-
sity in Detroit;
-Walter Shervington, 32, a
lecturer in the law school and
a clinical pychiatrist on t h e
staff of. the University Hospital;
and
-Peter- Steinberger, 27; . a
1966 graduate. of the 'University
law school, now working for
the Washtenaw County Legal
Aid Clinic.
The search committee's can-
didates were diverse and dy-
namic. Two - Shervington and
Locke - were black, and two
were from outside the University
community. Early in January,
Fleming began interviewing the
candidates, and the selection of
the new vice president seemed
imminent.
A major snag.,developed, how-
job was, in her mind, an almost
"impossible one" given what
she called the current climate
of student unrest and adminis-
,tration intransigence on many
issues.
Well-informed s o u r c e s said
later that Miss Leland and,
Fleming had not seen eye to
eye during their original inter-
view. Later, Fleming called Miss
Leland and specifically asked
for another chance to talk' to
her. He even flew to Washing-
ton to discuss matters with her,
but last April, Miss Leland said
that "Fleming would have to
say some p r e t t y interesting
things to get me to take that
job."
A third candidate was elimi-
nated shortly thereafter.
Locke said he was unfamiliar
with the proposed student-fac-
ulty b o a r d which would set
policy and which would be bind-
ing on the vice president.
Student members of the
search committee expressed sur-
prise at Locke's statement, say-
ing they had discussed the pro-
posed policy board with Locke
during their original inter-
views, and had believed that he
not only understood, b u t en-
dorsed the idea of such a pol-
icy-making unit.
They accused him of dupli-
city, and threatened to with-
draw their endorsement of his
candidacy.
Locke also came under attack
from black student leaders who
were dissatisfied with his cre-
dentials. Locke had formerly
served as an assistant commis-
sioner of police in Detroit, dur-
ing the riots of July, 1967.
In a statement written by
Darryl Gorman, a member of
SGC and the Black Student
Union (BSU), Locke's candidacy
was called "an insult to the in-
tegrity of the black commu-
nity."
The statement further ac-
cused Locke of insensitivity to
the concerns of black students.
The BSU w a s criticized by
some for injecting the race is-
sue into the selection of t h e
candidate. But in actuality, the
race issue was already there.
Of the five endorsed candi-
dates, Fleming had decided that
he liked Alan Guskin and Hu-
bert Locke the best. According
See VP, Page 5,
,d
7Ihe
At
9ox
Arbor Area (Dixboro);
to fund the research projects
being carried out by faculty
members and graduate students.
In this, he is considered to be
highly successful.
But Norman's position as a
strong supporter of research at
the University may make him
a future target for increasing
student sentiment against the
University's associations with
government and corporations.
MICHAEL RADOCK is virtu-
ally unknown by the student
body, partly because his position
as vice president for University
relations and development in-
volves him with students only
after they have graduated.
In administration lingo. "de-
velopment" means soliciting do-
A. Geoffrey Norman
nations to the University, and
the alumni are a major source.
But while Radock expresses
pride in what he calls the Uni-
versity's "great tradition in fund
raising - alumni, friends, cor-
porations a n d foundations,"
there is some concern that the
disruptions and scattered acts
Rf violence on campus may
cause a reduction in contribu-
tions.
When called upon to allevi-
ate the minds of fretful alumni,
Radock employs his extensive
background in public relations
and journalism.
As administrator of the Office
of University Relations, Radock
also supervises the University
News Service, as well as. the
various official publications dis-
tributed by the administration.
ever, when two of the candi-
dates were eliminated almost
immediately.
Steinberger, after receiving an
invitation from Fleming to meet;
to discuss the job, informed the
president that he would like to
invite a Daily reporter to attend
the meeting. Fleming declined
to meet under those circum-
stances.
Steinberger then told Fleming
he would not discuss the job in
closed session, and the inter-
view never took place.
Shortly thereafter, Fleming
announced that Steinberger was
no longer under consideration
for the vice presidency.
The second candidate to drop
out was Miss Leland. Contacted
in Palo Alto, Calif., shortly after
her interview with Fleming,
Miss Leland said she was with-
drawing from consideration for
the job. She explained that the
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