Spring Break
EDITORIAL: Pres search lacks diverse profs
Liberal arts faculty absent
Editorial | 11/3/09
Posted online at 12:23 AM EST on 11/3/09
On Oct. 30, University President Jehuda Reinharz announced that Chairman of the Board of Trustee Malcolm Sherman had formed the Presidential Search Committee to find Mr. Reinharz's successor. Among the twelve committee members are three Brandeis faculty: Profs. Gregory Petsko (BCHM), Gina Turrigiano (BIOL) and Leonard Saxe (Heller).
While this editorial board is pleased that the number of faculty members included in the committee has increased from two to three, we still hold some reservations about the faculty members who fill those positions. It is clear why Mr. Saxe, Heller School of Social Policy and Management professor and director of the Maurice and Marilyn Cohen Center for Jewish Studies was chosen, an admirable choice at a University so invested in Jewish culture. The appointment of two science professors to the committee, however, raises some questions. We wonder why none of the other major departments that contribute to a Brandeis liberal arts undergraduate education, such as humanities or the arts, are represented on the committee. There was no shortage of applicants to choose from-the Faculty Senate gave a ranked list of nine final choices to Mr. Sherman from which he could choose three. This editorial board encourages the committee, in light of this oversight, to remember that the future University president should be equally committed to all areas of study, not merely the sciences.
We also would have hoped to see an administrator who is particularly in touch with students as a member of the committee. Since the Student Advisory Committee is purely advisory, having such an administrator on the committee would ensure students' immediate representation.
This editorial board encourages the committee to maintain an open ear to the student committee and hopes that all of Brandeis' academic and social interest groups will be considered when choosing the next leader of the University.
While this editorial board is pleased that the number of faculty members included in the committee has increased from two to three, we still hold some reservations about the faculty members who fill those positions. It is clear why Mr. Saxe, Heller School of Social Policy and Management professor and director of the Maurice and Marilyn Cohen Center for Jewish Studies was chosen, an admirable choice at a University so invested in Jewish culture. The appointment of two science professors to the committee, however, raises some questions. We wonder why none of the other major departments that contribute to a Brandeis liberal arts undergraduate education, such as humanities or the arts, are represented on the committee. There was no shortage of applicants to choose from-the Faculty Senate gave a ranked list of nine final choices to Mr. Sherman from which he could choose three. This editorial board encourages the committee, in light of this oversight, to remember that the future University president should be equally committed to all areas of study, not merely the sciences.
We also would have hoped to see an administrator who is particularly in touch with students as a member of the committee. Since the Student Advisory Committee is purely advisory, having such an administrator on the committee would ensure students' immediate representation.
This editorial board encourages the committee to maintain an open ear to the student committee and hopes that all of Brandeis' academic and social interest groups will be considered when choosing the next leader of the University.
Be the first to comment on this story