Column: The qualities of a president

Dear Presidential Selection Committee,

Thank you for asking for my advice concerning the selection of Duke's ninth president. I do, indeed, have many thoughts regarding what ought to qualify a candidate to lead Duke University in the coming years. Per your request, I will focus on the positive contributions that a new president might make, rather than dwell on mistakes that I believe Nan and others have made in the past. I have to admit that as my Duke career draws to a close, it is harder for even me to criticize. Sure, the other seniors and I are ready to leave, but we will, despite our varied complaints, miss the place, particularly our friends. We are all most comfortable just as we have to go. I do believe that four years in the trenches have provided me with some perspective of what Duke needs from its leadership in the future, and since the undergraduate voice is often muddled, I'm glad to have this opportunity to clarify some of our concerns.

First, I understand that undergraduate life is not the primary focus of the University. We have the Medical Center, graduate programs, research centers, professional schools and various institutes, all of which bring in more cash or prestige to Duke than will ever come from a bunch of clever 20-year olds trying to find their place in the world. You and I both know that for this reason alone, the president will have to be primarily a manager to keep this diverse institutional machinery running. The Trustees are all managers of some sort and know that management is the key to success. Managers, administrators, whatever you call them--they make the University go round. The president is the closest thing we have to an Aristotelian unmoved mover in the university cosmos, and if (s)he doesn't make things run smoothly, we are doomed. At least that is the conventional wisdom. I have to admit from personal experience, however, that a lot of administrators seem to be a big fat waste of space and oxygen, and a properly trained monkey could probably manage the school without much detriment. Wait, don't stop reading. I don't say this to suggest the incompetence of administrators or the virtues of monkeys'Äîrather it seems that most departments, programs and centers are pretty good at managing themselves, and that the effectiveness of external management is largely chimeric. Sure, Duke's president will cast tie-breaking votes on some big university issues, but don't choose someone just because of managerial skills'Äîany intelligent person will do just fine.

Secondly, fundraising is obviously a priority, and the president will have to keep our endowment growing, particularly as Duke continues to employ most of the county's construction workers. See my column from a month ago and do not, under any circumstances, call me for a donation.

Thirdly, and this draws on the first two points, you have to realize that Duke's present challenges are not caused by a crisis of resources, nor will they be in the near future. We already have the best resources in the world, and most people don't take advantage of them as it is. This brings me to the paradox of undergraduate life that the next president will have to address. Every year the admissions folk announce that we have the most talented new class in Duke history. Yet, (you have probably noticed it too) our undergraduates are kind of lame once they get here. I've heard more than one person remark that if the future of the world is in our hands, it isn't that bright. Why is this? Why do the most talented youth in America all start acting so damn mediocre when they come to Duke ? I don't have any easy answer to propose, but our next president must recognize that undergraduate life does not live up to its potential. Things are always worse amongst the underclassmen, which is to say that while freshmen don't have a clue, upperclassmen can't help but figure a few things out the longer they are on campus. It is a truism to say that advising is inadequate. We all know, additionally, that a bad professor can easily ruin a well-titled course and that if you start out on the wrong track freshman year, you won't find out until it is too late. A number of students may leave Duke more confused about crucial matters than when they first came. Recognizing and addressing the phenomenon of rapidly acquired undergraduate idiocy must be a priority for the next president.

Lastly, Duke's president has to work actively for the renewal of real campus debates. Too many current administrators try either to placate and appease student tantrums or deny the validity of substantive complaints. Any redress of this situation will not come in the form of student/faculty panel discussions, but mean using the bully pulpit and going on record in order to provide the context for extended conversations through campus media. Nan has been wonderful in respecting the speech rights of students during her tenure, but there is no reason to be afraid of telling students they are out of line when they are. The protesters in the traffic circle last week should have been promptly arrested and moved for the sake of their own safety. I'm still surprised no one ran them over. Masters Tournament Chairman Hootie Johnson is a great example of the kind of leader who won't sell out to protest blackmail. Can I nominate him?

Also, wouldn't it be great if we could get beyond "protest" politics and actually have intellectual battles on campus? What would happen if, instead of reading some sentimental morality tale about cheating or a similarly crappy book, incoming freshmen all read something that really challenged them to think in new ways? What better way to begin college than by wrestling with the magnificent autobiography The Education of Henry Adams or MacIntyre's After Virtue? Now that would be radical.

I remarked at the beginning of this year that Duke's mission statement, engraved on the metal plaque in the center of the Chapel Quad, has obviously been abandoned by all Duke administrations of recent memory. I expect that some of the concerns raised above would be mitigated if it were taken seriously. If this is not going to happen, however, the next Duke president ought be ready to announce a new aim for student life at Duke rather than avoid the fact that so much is currently in disarray.