6
4
8 - The Michigan Daily - Tuesday, April 23, 1996
With close to
40,000 opinions
on campus and
the largest alumni
base nationwide,
the University
tuned in to the
community this
year, collecting
the views of
students, faculty,
staff and alumni
on the next
president.
The
12th President
One /zundredfive years of editorzal freedom
Andre Adams of the Native American Student's Association offers input to the University Board of
Regents at a search forum held in December.
Forum speakers voice igh hopes
if the next president has every quality listed by
the more than 228 people who spoke at the nine
presidential search forums, the University's 12th
leader will be like "God on a good day.'
That's what Regent Philip Power (D-Ann Ar-
bor) told the crowd at the Detroit forum, one of the
public sessions held across the state.
During these search forums, which were de-
signed so the University Board of Regents could
get input, speakers listed elaborate qualifications
for the next president.
Concerns included the desire for a president
who will emphasize teaching over research, in-
crease diversity in the faculty and the student
body, feel comfortable in the realms of academia,
and strengthen relations between the University
and the state government.
.: Former state Sen. Lana Pollack said relations
with Lansing should be a primary concern for the
person who fills the shoes of President James
Duderstadt, who will step down June 30.
"The next president needs to be almost as comfort-
able within the public and political realms as within the
University," Pollack said during the alumni forum.
Ann Arbor Mayor Ingrid Sheldon told the board
that the president should be committed to strength-
ening relations between the University and the
community. The city of Ann Arbor, she said,
attracts students to the University.
"I personally have always used the term symbi-
otic to describe town-gown relations. The two and
the gown should strive because of each other,"
Sheldon said.
Students emphasized their desire for continued
diversity, as well as the importance of an open
search process.
LSA senior Stacia Fejedelem, president of the
Residence Halls Association, said the next president
needs to be more open to student concerns.
"We would like to see someone who is visible
to students," Fejedelem said. "We are looking for
someone who is willing to get to know the student
population."
'U' Community Asks For Qualities in Next President
Two hundred twenty-eight people spoke at forums on
the presidential search. The following are three of 16
categories to which community members responded.
Community Values
(164 responses)
Will the next
leader hail from
inside the 'U?
Should the next University president be an outsider bring-
ing fresh perspectives and new ideas or would an internal
candidate be best able to understand the University's tradi-
tions and challenges'?
This is a question the University Board of Regents will
confront next fall as it assesses the qualities needed to guide
the University into the 21st century.
The two most recent presidents have come from within the
University. farold Shapiro, who led the University from 1980-
87. was a professor of economics. James Duderstadt, who
assumed the preside cyin 19tandischedkto step down
June 30. first served as dean of Engineering and later as provost.
Regent Deane Baker (R-Ann Arbor) said the hiring of
internal and external candidates "is a periodic factor."
Baker, who was involved in the searches that hired Shapiro
and Duderstadt. said that in the case of the next president, "an
outsider might be more appropriate."
While expressing admiration for the two most recent presi-
dents, Baker said the next president will face new issues in
finance and maintaining the quality of undergraduate education.
Regent Shirley McFee (R-Battle Creek), a co-chair of the
Presidential Search Committee, said strong candidates from
within the University will also be considered in the search.
The Presidential Search Committee consists of all the
members of the Board of Regents.
McFee said the ideal president would have extensive
experience in both higher education as well as the public and
private sectors. McFee said a University insider might be
able to competently navigate the institution's complex facets
and be familiar with its "areas of challenge and the knowl-
edge of who the major players are."
But McFee also said an insider may have difficulty viewing
the school in a large context. "Sometimes you can be so close
to something that you can't see the forest for the trees," she said.
LSA Dean Edie Goldenberg said the search should only
focus on finding "the very best person we can get," noting
that the next president could come from outside or from
within the University. Goldenberg has been mentioned as a
possible internal candidate.
"There are outsiders who have had relationships with the
University in the past," Goldenberg said, noting the array of
alums and former faculty members who could be considered
for the job. "There are outsiders and semi-outsiders."
Thomas Roach, who served as regent from 1974 to 1990, said
a rule of thumb in most searches is to pick an external candidate
ifthe University is in trouble. But ifthe school is in strong shape,
the search should include both internal and external figures.
"At this time, we are not in trouble. Accordingly, we have
the luxury to look at a lot of internal candidates as well as
external candidates," Roach said.
Roach said the hiring of an external candidate could be
hindered by the openness of the search, where five final candi-
dates will be publicly analyzed and interviewed by the regents:
McFee said the risk external candidates face in this search
"has been the subject of some discussion."
"We've had all kinds of projections on this, to the fact that
we'll get nobody, to that this is such a desirable position that
anybody will go for it," McFee said.
George Brewer, chair of the Senate Advisory Committe
for University Affairs, said the current search plan will not
frighten away qualified individuals.
"I don't think a provost would be jeopardized by being one of
five people being considered for president here," Brewer said.
In previous University searches, candidates were offered
the choice to be considered in either a public or private setting.
Roach said none ofthe final candidates wanted an open search.
Roach said all of the candidates requested anonymity.
In this search, they will not have that choice, a factor Roach
said may be deterimental: "The chances are the best people in the
country will say, 'No, I'm not willing to be considered."'
Characteristics
responses)
L Leadership Qualities
. AVisionary
43 U Have integrity
I Open to Change
M Other
Values and Beliefs
(45 responses)'
i
Humanitarian t
Support diversity
Willing to take a stand 19
Committed to minorities U
Other E
0 support diversity
n Sensitive to women's issues
0Open anid accessible,.
. Support Michigan Mandate
i other
Source: University Analysis
RC senior Benjamin Novick said that an open
search will allow students to have a role in the
process.
"The only way to promote respect between
students and the president is to have a completely
open process of selection in which the students
participate," Novick said.
Chetley Zarko, a 1993 University alum, stressed
the importance of balancing teaching and research.
"What has happened is that we have sacrificed
quality teaching for quality research," Zarko said.
"Our next president should strive for ... a balance
between education and research."
While almost all the speakers expressed their
gratitude for having the chance to address the
regents, at one point the board faced criticism for the
attention surrounding the search forums.
Avern Cohn, a federal judge who spoke at the,
forum in Detroit, said the regents were making a
mistake by giving the search so much publicity.
"You really do not understand your role in the
management ofthe University of Michigan," Cohn
said. "You give the impression that you are more
interested in publicizing the search than going
about the business of the search itself."
JOSH WHITE/Daily
Student Responses
Of the 21 students who gave
criteria for the new president,-
most indicated the need for
listening to the students.
Numbers show how many
students mentioned each
item.
17
06
W ItU
- U
@~~ E1 E
Source: University Analysis
JOSH WHITE/Daily