0- The Michigan Daily - Wednesday, January 26, 1994 - It:* tdiiun u~ r DUDERSTADT: September James J. Duderstadt becomes President of the University of Michigan. Two weeks later, Duderstadt introduces the Michigan Mandate - a program designed to increase minority representation and diversity among faculty, staff, and students at the University. November Officers in the University's Department of Public Safety and Security are first "deputized." Duderstadt says he would like to see a campus police force. March Duderstadt announces that he will use his authority under Regents' Bylaw 2.01 to "levy sanctions on students" until the University adopts a code of non-academic conduct. Also, Duderstadt informs regents of a policy designed to regulate forms of student expression on campus. November Duderstadt's campus police force becomes a reality, amidst student protest. 1992 October Duderstadt lays out plan to raise $1 billion in the Campaign for Michigan fundraising drive. This is the most ambitious fundraising drive by a public university in history. 1993 January The Statement of Student Rights and Responsibilities, a code of non-academic conduct, is * W hen James J. Duderstadtga assumed the job as the 12th can' President of the University of is be Michigan on Sep. 1, 1988, A few could have realized just is in how controversial a figure he would be. In his espe first year in office, he set forth an ambitious have series of objectives - objectives designed to E transform the University as it moved toward the Cam next century. Now, with five-and-a-half years incre under his belt, we know more of President Univ Duderstadt - and his vision for the University well of the future. goal There is no question about President year Duderstadt's ambition for the University. He BE has worked tirelessly to mold the University to Dud his vision. At this stage of the game, we would Univ like to reflect on the Duderstadt era (thus far) dra - its good points, and its bad points. athle The best place to start is where Duderstadt, the n himself, started. Specifically, we refer to the H Michigan Mandate, a plan announced by have Duderstadt in his first month in office, designed of th to significantly alter the opportunities available clea to minority students, staff, and faculty at the pers University. It is Indeed, this is one area where Duderstadt too can point to success - or at least a promising A trend. Each year since 1988 has seen the Univ percentage of non-white students at the Dud University increase by 1 percent. Also since impri 1988, the percentage of total instructors at the mult University who are non-white has shown a pick marked increase annually. While there is still into much to be done in order to achieve the goal of A a diverse campus (some minorities report a Stud N ineteen-ninety-three was a very special year. My family and I marked our twenty-fifth year in Ann Arbor and I also completed my fifth year as president of the University of Michigan. We celebrated with other members of the University community the 175th year of the founding of one of the great public universities in the United States. Moments like these present a wonderful opportunity to reflect on this institution's remarkable history and accomplishments. These moments also present those of us who care about the University an opportunity to plan for the future, just as eight generations before us did. Had they not made bold, forward- looking decisions about the direction of the University, we would not have such cause for celebration. The University is vastly different today. It is a modern research university, complex and multidimensional. People perceive it in vastly different ways, depending on their vantage point, their needs and their expectations. Beyond the classic triad of teaching, research and service, society has assigned to the University over the past several decades an array of other roles: improving health care; national security; social mobility; entertainment (intercollegiate athletics); Further, we are now asked to assume additional roles such as: revitalizing K-12 education rebuilding our cities enhancing economic competitiveness As president, one of my most important jobs is to balance the needs of the present with the uncertainties and challenges of the future. I must 4address the concerns of the faculty, students, staff and ss ceiling" beyond which faculty members t advance), this part of Duderstadt's vision coming a reality. nother area where Duderstadt has excelled bringing money into the University - cially in the troubled economic times that thus far plagued his administration. ven before the implementation of the paign for Michigan in October 1992, the ase of private donations into the ersity was notable. Now, the University is on its way toward reaching the campaign's of $1 billion in donations - only two s into the campaign. eyond these two major successes, erstadt has presided over the rebirth of the ersity as a major research institution, a vatic improvement in facilities, and an tic department that is now ranked No. 1 in iation. lowever, not all of his accomplishments been as glowing. A central characteristic e Duderstadt administration has been a r move toward restricting the academic and onal freedoms of students at the University. a characteristic that has manifest itself far Aften. key example is the creation of a ersity police force. A panel convened by erstadt to make suggestions about how to ove safety on campus resulted in a itude of recommendations. Duderstadt ed the cops, and proceeded to bring them fruition. nother example is the Statement of ent Rights and Responsibilities. Despite alumni who are today's Michigan family. But I must also work with the Board of Regents, donors, state, federal and local government officials, business and industry, local residents, my peers in higher education, and other friends of the University to plan our future. The day- to-day management of a university as complex as Michigan can never be made without considering the implications of our decisions for the next generation. Therefore, one of my greatest challenges is to advance a highly focused agenda. And everyone associated with the University must have input into this agenda because my leadership can be most effective when we have all worked together to set the proper goals. To serve a changing nation and world, we must constantly re-examine the mission of the University. In essentially every address I have given and in every action I have taken at this University over the past five years, I have stressed two main concepts: leadership and change. In my inaugural address in 1988, I suggested three themes that would change the world. They were: 1) the increasing diversity of our population, 2) the internationalization of all aspects of our society, and 3) the degree to which knowledge itself is becoming the key strategic commodity to achieve prosperity, security, and social well- being. In subsequent years, I added three new themes to my original list: 4) global change, 5) the post-Cold War world, and 6) rebuilding America (human and physical capital and infrastructure). When I took office, I proposed a very ambitious agenda. First and foremost, I set forth my vision of the university of the twenty-first century. Keeping in mind the key themes of change listed above, over the years we subsequently developed a series of critical objectives for the University, including the need to become a more diverse campus, to denying that a code of non-academic conduc was a priority, he proceeded to make it a priority - first implementing pieces like the Union access policy and the Diag policy, an later bringing it all home with the code. And all of this has been done to students while the University continues to funnel resources into buildings and a burgeoning administration - and not into the quality of undergraduate education. Regardless of what specific actions have been good or bad, we feel that the most important role a university president can pla to set a tone for the campus - one that mak everybody feel like an integral part of the University community, with something to of and something to gain from being a part of it The tone Duderstadt has instead set is a top- down hierarchy with the administration on t- top, the faculty and staff on the next rung, an the students languishing on the bottom. Relatively few students ever have contact wi administrators - and the vast majority of student could not even identify the president Past presidents, including his immediate predecessor, Harold Shapiro, made themselv accessible to the campus. Like Duderstadt, Shapiro had a vision. But rather than cramm it down people's throats, he more often mad people feel as if they were a part of the visio The history books on James J. Duderstad are far from closed. All indications point to staying around here for quite some time. Perhaps if Duderstadt is more kind to studen and faculty in the future - history will eventually be more kind to him. enhance the quality of all academic programs, and to improve our facilities. We have made very significant progress. We now have the highest enrollments in our history for people of color with the highest graduation rates of any public university in America. We have undertaken over $300 million in new construction and renovation of facilities, renovating much of the Central Campus. We have one of the most advanced computer networks in the world. The campus is becoming increasingly international, with the formation of important intellectual centers such as the Institute for International Studies. These initiatives are all part of the change process, and the University community has worked together to help make these events occur. But the job has just begun. Both the pace and the nature of the changes in our world today seem overwhelming. All of us are having difficulty evaluating the implications of such dramatic change, as well as responding and adapting to it. Higher education is no exception. We must set forth a vision, a plan for the future. And the University community and its various constituencies must take part in the dialogue and planning process. We have already set a course toward a vision that positions the University to be the leading university in America. Taking it one step further, we are beginning to work on a plan for our bicentennial. We are working to develop a new model for the University of the 21st century. For students, this planning effort is important. Students of today are already affected by es iJames ing Dudorstadt et his goals and him achievements ts sinc taking over a U Vpresident. the changes brought about by years of planning efforts - changes in curriculum such as the quantitative reasoning requirement, for example. The children of today's students will benefit from continuing improvements to undergraduate education such as the Gateway Campus. Future alumni will continue to expect great things their alma mater. And finally, as citizens of the world, today's students will benefit from discoveries made here, by our own faculty. We have a long way to go before we define a vision for the year 2017. I will count on the input of everyone as we move forward. At the same time, we must also work together to achieve more short-term objectives, which are the foundation and building blocks in the long range planning process. One important area is our effort to make this campus truly diverse and to achieve the objectives of the Michigan Mandate. We must continue to work to create a climate where people from all backgrounds and cultures are respected, where openness and reasoned debate can occur. There are other important goals. During this decade, I hope that we can also continue the progress we have made in improving undergraduate education at Michigan; to achieve more Michigan "firsts;" to make Michigan the university of choice for women leaders; to enhance the quality of all academic programs; to sustain our blend of broad access and high quality; and to enhance the quality of the student living and learning environment. And that's just a start. We must continue to challenge ourselves, to become even better. My hope is that I will make a lasting contribution to the vitality and strength of this great University. At Michigan, none of us should expect any less from ourselves. "I