THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, September 10, 1996 TAG: 9609100245
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY PHILIP WALZER, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: 85 lines
College presidents must wield more power - and yield less to the whims of faculty and board members - to chart their schools through tough times, according to a report issued by a panel led by former Gov. Gerald L. Baliles.
``The academic presidency has become weak,'' said the study, which was released Monday. ``The authority of college and university presidents is being undercut by all of its partners - trustees, faculty members and political leaders - and, at times, by the presidents' own lack of assertiveness and willingness to take risks for change.''
The study was conducted by the national Commission on the Academic Presidency, a panel formed by the Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges. Baliles served as chairman.
Baliles, now an attorney with Hunton & Williams in Richmond, declined Monday to say whether he thought Virginia's college presidents in particular were hamstrung by meddlesome professors and unsupportive boards.
The report, he said, was intended to be national in scope and was based on more than 100 interviews. Only one Virginia president was interviewed - Timothy J. Sullivan of the College of William and Mary.
``I certainly see my colleagues and myself in the report,'' said John T. Casteen III, president of the University of Virginia. ``But I'm not sure that anybody says, `Yes, I see myself exactly in that report.' ''
``One clue that something is seriously wrong is the increasingly brief tenures of presidents in public institutions. People just don't stay anymore.''
Universities generally operate under a system of shared governance, with professors sometimes playing a large role in debating and deciding policies. ``But what some academic insiders take pride in as democratic decision-making is, in reality, a web of inefficiency,'' the report said.
Baliles said Monday: ``Shared governance is something we support, but we think it needs to be reshaped.'' So professors, in his view, should have primary say in curriculum changes, but need only be consulted on budget issues. And on some matters, such as building maintenance, the president need not solicit their views, he said.
The report cites an unidentified Northeastern university where for five years the faculty studied whether to consolidate three separate business departments. After the president decided to do so, the faculty passed a ``no confidence'' vote in him for ``lack of consultation.''
Said Baliles: ``We no longer have the luxury of every conceivable issue being debated indefinitely.''
But William A. Drewry, chairman of the Faculty Senate at Old Dominion University, said Monday that he believed that most universities, including ODU, are not stymied by faculty interference or excessive debate.
``I think on the whole - here at ODU and probably at most colleges and universities across the country - there is this spirit of at least wanting to cooperate, both from the president and from the faculty side,'' said Drewry, who is chairman of the civil engineering department. ``The things that get the headlines are the knock-down, drag-out fights, but there aren't many of those.''
The report also said that university board members too often serve political interests and sometimes don't have enough knowledge of higher education issues. To change that, the commission recommended that their terms last for at least five years and that their appointments be reviewed by an independent panel.
In Virginia, board members are selected by the governor, without an independent screening panel. They may be appointed for up to two four-year terms.
``If you have members of the board who bring an understanding of institutions and who are willing to subordinate personal projects and pet peeves, everyone will be better served,'' Baliles said. ``The commission heard repeated testimony that in many states the process is very political.''
Casteen declined Monday to discuss his relationship with U.Va.'s board, which publicly disputed rumors last year that it was unhappy with him.
But he said presidents in Virginia probably get along better with their faculties than do their counterparts across the country because several used to teach at the institutions they now lead. Casteen taught English at U.Va., Sullivan taught law at William and Mary, and President Paul Torgersen taught engineering at Virginia Tech.
This is the second major national report on higher education written by Baliles. In 1994, he released a report sponsored by the Southern Regional Education Board that chided Southern legislators for cutting college funding and schools themselves for resisting reforms. ILLUSTRATION: Color photo
``We no longer have the luxury of every conceivable issue being
debated indefinitely.''
- GERALD L. BALILES, leader of a national study concluding that
presidents are hindered by overly inclusive decision-making. by CNB