Pilarz to step down

[Tugg Speedman]

Trying to stay on topic ....

The President is a figurehead.  He is the guy (or gal) that makes the key phone call, and closes the deal with the VERY wealthy to put their name on the side of buildings.  He does this because he typical already has a relationship with them, and has for years, because he already traffics in those circles.  The Provost actually runs the school (and MU is also looking for that position too).  The University President helps pick the Provost.

That is why a politician is a good fit, and why many University presidents are former politicians.  Scott Walker and/or Paul Ryan would be very good fits for MU.  Problem is neither of them are leaving their current jobs.

So Herb Kohl, Tommy Thompson, Russ Feingold, Bud Selig, or another Milwaukee/Wisconsin person that would live on Milwaukee that can get the rich and powerful to do things for MU is a good fit (i.e., the next President needs to have enough cachet that if crime becomes a problem he can get the Governor and/or Mayor of Milwaukee off the toilet at 7AM and demand they "do something," and they would by lunchtime).

So who else fits this job description?  I would argue that a CEO (like Joerres of Manpower or Falk of Kimberly Clark) are NOT good fits.  CEOs like to run things, not use their influence to make rain.

Thoughts?

[forgetful]

Trying to stay on topic ....

The President is a figurehead.  He is the guy (or gal) that makes the key phone call, and closes the deal with the VERY wealthy to put their name on the side of buildings.  He does this because he typical already has a relationship with them, and has for years, because he already traffics in those circles.  The Provost actually runs the school (and MU is also looking for that position too).  The University President helps pick the Provost.

That is why a politician is a good fit, and why many University presidents are former politicians.  Scott Walker and/or Paul Ryan would be very good fits for MU.  Problem is neither of them are leaving their current jobs.

So Herb Kohl, Tommy Thompson, Russ Feingold, Bud Selig, or another Milwaukee/Wisconsin person that would live on Milwaukee that can get the rich and powerful to do things for MU is a good fit (i.e., the next President needs to have enough cachet that if crime becomes a problem he can get the Governor and/or Mayor of Milwaukee off the toilet at 7AM and demand they "do something," and they would by lunchtime).

So who else fits this job description?  I would argue that a CEO (like Joerres of Manpower or Falk of Kimberly Clark) are NOT good fits.  CEOs like to run things, not use their influence to make rain.

Thoughts?

I'm not positive, but I know to be a provost one has to have a PhD.  I would assume the same for the president (where being a priest is considered PhD equivalent).  So Walker/Ryan would be ineligible.  Of your list only Feingold and Thompson would be eligible.

I think Feingold would be an apt choice.  He is a wisconsin native, has Ivy league connections and is well respected.

[Tugg Speedman]

I'm not positive, but I know to be a provost one has to have a PhD.  I would assume the same for the president (where being a priest is considered PhD equivalent).  So Walker/Ryan would be ineligible.  Of your list only Feingold and Thompson would be eligible.

I think Feingold would be an apt choice.  He is a Wisconsin native, has Ivy league connections and is well respected.

The PhD must be an MU rule because Mitch Daniel, President of Purdue (and former Governor of Indiana) does not have a PhD.  Anyone else know about the PhD rule?  Added:  Bart Giamatti was the President of Yale from 1977 to 1986 did not have a PhD (and became baseball commissioner after Yale) and Benno Schmidt Jr was Yale's President from 1986 to 1992 also did not have a PhD.

Also, some have noted that MU has another rule, the President must be Catholic (is this the case?).  That would rule out Kohl, Selig and Feingold as they are Jewish.

Again what is the job of a University President?  My answer is a rain maker both is raising money, attracting attention and getting powerful people to say yes.  Who best has these skills?  Answer: a politician ... party affiliation is not important.

[chapman]

Again what is the job of a University President?  My answer is a rain maker both is raising money, attracting attention and getting powerful people to say yes.  Who best has these skills?  Answer: a politician ... party affiliation is not important.

How about somewhat with this profile?  MU alum, attorney, former FCC commissioner, adjunct professor at Georgetown and Catholic U.  Not a politician, but political and non-political connections galore.

http://transition.fcc.gov/commissioners/previous/abernathy/biography.html

[avid1010]

The PhD must be an MU rule because Mitch Daniel, President of Purdue (and former Governor of Indiana) does not have a PhD.  Anyone else know about the PhD rule?  Added:  Bart Giamatti was the President of Yale from 1977 to 1986 and did not have a PhD (and became baseball commissioner after Yale)  Benno Schmidt Jr was Yale's President from 1986 to 1992 and did not have a PhD.

Also, some have noted that MU has another rule, the President must be Catholic (is this the case?).  That would rule out Kohl, Selig and Feingold as they are Jewish.

Again what is the job of a University President?  My answer is a rain maker both is raising money, attracting attention and getting powerful people to say yes.  Who best has these skills?  Answer: a politician ... party affiliation is not important.

don't know about a phd, but to have a president that doesn't even have a undergraduate degree would be embarrassing.    i also think politics do matter.  mitch daniel is more toward the center than most, in a much more republican state...political affiliation/past political practice would certainly matter.  

[TheTulsaWarrior]

Many may look down on Oklahoma but a high percentage of the state's public university presidents are former elected officials.  David Boren, a Rhodes Scholar, former governor and U.S. Senator heads up the University of Oklahoma and has done an outstanding job on all fronts.  Looking back in history Columbia University picked a guy named Dwight Eisenhower in the late 1940s.  He raised a record amount of money for the school and gave a much needed new perspective to that academic environment.

[wildbill sb]

How about somewhat with this profile?  MU alum, attorney, former FCC commissioner, adjunct professor at Georgetown and Catholic U.  Not a politician, but political and non-political connections galore.

http://transition.fcc.gov/commissioners/previous/abernathy/biography.html

Abernathy is a female magna cum laud graduate from MU  -  you know, the FIRST Catholic university to admit women into degree seeking programs.  We could do worse.

[Tugg Speedman]

How about somewhat with this profile?  MU alum, attorney, former FCC commissioner, adjunct professor at Georgetown and Catholic U.  Not a politician, but political and non-political connections galore.

http://transition.fcc.gov/commissioners/previous/abernathy/biography.html

This is good, will she move to Milwaukee and does she have the connections and cachet to get rich people to put their name on the side buildings? 

[Coleman]

A politician would be a terrible choice. They would be polarizing and would alienate half of the alumni and donor base. I don't care which side of the aisle you are on, but if Scott Walker, Paul Ryan or Russ Feingold was chosen, you would piss off half of our support base.

And while you are correct that they are mostly the fundraiser and figurehead, that makes choosing someone who will not piss people even more important.

[Tugg Speedman]

A politician would be a terrible choice. They would be polarizing and would alienate half of the alumni and donor base. I don't care which side of the aisle you are on, but if Scott Walker, Paul Ryan or Russ Feingold was chosen, you would piss off half of our support base.

And while you are correct that they are mostly the fundraiser and figurehead, that makes choosing someone who will not piss people even more important.

Wrong, they only piss off people that cannot seriously donate to a University.  Very Rich deal with politicians on both sides effectively.

--------------
Long History of Politicians Becoming University Heads

http://www.edmediacommons.org/forum/topics/long-history-of-politicians-becoming-university-heads

In a surprise move, Department of Homeland Security chief Janet Napolitano is being named as the next president of the University of California university system.

The news was first delivered by the Los Angeles Times, with White House officials confirming her departure shortly after.

The new hire puts the former Arizona governor and U.S. Attorney at the helm of arguably the nation’s premier system of higher learning, tasked with leading its 10 institutions and affiliate research centers.

In citing some of the reasons for her selection, the Los Angeles Times story summarized UC officials who noted her background “will help UC administer its federal energy and nuclear weapons labs and aid its federally funded research in medicine and other areas.”

Napolitano continues a long line of public officials who have transitioned to leading posts in higher learning. A website, Political Graveyard, maintains a useful, though incomplete, list of former politicians and top public servants who’ve taken over the reins (or assumed a figurehead position) at postsecondary institutions over the years.

Big names include Robert Gates, who served as Secretary of Defense from 2006 to 2011 under two presidents after holding other top positions in previous administrations, including Director of Central Intelligence under President George Herbert Walker Bush. Gates was president of Texas A&M from 2002 to 2006, before being named Secretary of Defense. His tenure “earned high marks for his bold vision, sharp intellect and consistent, consensus-building leadership” according to the Houston Chronicle. Gates now holds the ceremonial post of Chancellor of the College of William and Mary.

Rebecca Blank, is the incoming chancellor of University of Wisconsin-Madison. She holds a doctorate from Massachusetts Institute of Technology and served as acting Secretary of Commerce under president Obama.

David Boren served as governor and later senator for the state of Oklahoma from 1975 to 1994. He is currently president of the University of Oklahoma.

Erskine Bowles, former chief of staff for Bill Clinton, was president of the University of North Carolina system from 2005 to 2010. He has recently returned to the political arena, joining forces with a retired Republican senator to create a budget model to reduce the nation’s debt.

Current governor of Iowa Terry Branstad was president of Des Moines University from 2003 to 2009 after his first go as the Hawkeye state’s gubernatorial pick from 1983 to 1999.

Former Indiana governor and head of President George W. Bush’s Office of Management and Budget Mitch Daniels was named president of Purdue University in 2012.

General Dwight D. Eisenhower, before embarking on his successful presidential campaigns but after leading Allied troops in World War II, was president of Columbia University. His tenure as university president was interrupted by his appointment to the role of Supreme Commander of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).

Current president of Hobart and William Smith Colleges Mark Gearan is another Clinton alum, having served as a deputy chief of staff and director of the Peace Corps during the president from Arkansas’ administration.

M. Peter McPherson was president of Michigan State University until 2004. McPherson had served in President Gerald Ford's White House.

Donna Edna Shalala, another Badger, was president Clinton’s Secretary of Health and Human Services for eight years after serving as chancellor of the University of Wisconsin-Madison. After her role at HHS, Shalala became president of University of Miami in Florida.

Larry Summers was president of Harvard University from 2001 to 2006. Previously, he served as Secretary of the Treasury for Bill Clinton and was the chief economist at the World Bank. After his stint at Harvard, which ended with a resignation following a string of controversies, Summers was director of the National Economic Council for President Obama.

A few politicians who came short have also served as university heads. Bruce Benson, who unsuccessfully ran for governor of Colorado in 1994, has served as president of the University of Colorado since 2008. Unrelated but still humorous and therefore worth noting: during his run for the governor’s seat he took a jab at his opponent for being born on a less patriotic day than he. The incumbent, Democrat Roy Romer, was born on Halloween. Benson was born on the Fourth of July. Voters picked the candy candidate.

Numerous university heads with political backgrounds have assumed positions in Texas, according to Kevin Kiley of Inside Higher Ed.

Some blasts from the past? The co-founder of first president of Cornell University, Andrew Dickson White, held several diplomatic posts, including Ambassador to Germany from 1897 to 1902.

Woodrow Wilson? Try Professor Wilson. Before running the state of New Jersey and steering the country through World War I as president of the U.S., the German-speaking professor of political science led Princeton University as the institution's president from 1902 to 2010. He likely has a lock on the honor of being the only presidential candidate to face a real threat from the "Bull Moose" and Socialist parties.

And Abraham Baldwin, who fought in the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War, served as a senator from Georgia in the nation’s early years, and helped found and lead what later became the University of Georgia.

Special thanks to Kevin Kiley, Robert Kelchen, Ben Wildavsky, Kim Clark and Rachel Fishman for helping me compile this list.

[Tugg Speedman]

Here is a list of over 200 politicians that have served as University Presidents throughout American History.

http://politicalgraveyard.com/occ/univpres.html

[Canned Goods n Ammo]

The PhD must be an MU rule because Mitch Daniel, President of Purdue (and former Governor of Indiana) does not have a PhD.  Anyone else know about the PhD rule?  Added:  Bart Giamatti was the President of Yale from 1977 to 1986 did not have a PhD (and became baseball commissioner after Yale) and Benno Schmidt Jr was Yale's President from 1986 to 1992 also did not have a PhD.

Also, some have noted that MU has another rule, the President must be Catholic (is this the case?).  That would rule out Kohl, Selig and Feingold as they are Jewish.

Again what is the job of a University President?  My answer is a rain maker both is raising money, attracting attention and getting powerful people to say yes.  Who best has these skills?  Answer: a politician ... party affiliation is not important.

So the "president" is really a PR position? (in your mind)

I'm not saying that's wrong, but I don't think that's how Jesuit Universities approach it.

[Tugg Speedman]

So the "president" is really a PR position? (in your mind)

I'm not saying that's wrong, but I don't think that's how Jesuit Universities approach it.

Yes, the President does not "run" the university.  The Chancellor and/or Provost do that.  The president

* raises money
* attracts attention to the University
* gets rich people to say yes to University wants and needs.

This is why politicians are a natural fit.  See Madison, Blank was a Politician, as was Shalala

If the Jesuits think the President runs the University (i.e., regularly meet with facilities management to discuss the number of clogged toilets in McCormick) then they think a CEO would be a better fit.  History shows very few CEOS are University Presidents?

So, what do the Jesuits think the Chancellor and/or Provost do?

[Nukem2]

Yes, the President does not "run" the university.  The Chancellor and/or Provost do that.  The president

* raises money
* attracts attention to the University
* gets rich people to say yes to University wants and needs.

This is why politicians are a natural fit.  See Madison, Blank was a Politician, as was Shalala

And, those are ostensibly the reasons that Fr. P was probably not a good fit @ MU...?  Scranton was more his level of comfort?  Obviously his comments mirror that as he would rather do something else ( and, also be back East...? ).

[Tugg Speedman]

And, those are ostensibly the reasons that Fr. P was probably not a good fit @ MU...?  Scranton was more his level of comfort?  Obviously his comments mirror that as he would rather do something else ( and, also be back East...? ).

+1 ... after 8 pages we finally get to why Fr. P might be leaving, as opposed to the silliness in previous pages.

Another thought.

University President is equivalent to a private sector the Chairman of the Board/Lead Director
Chancellor/Provost  is equivalent to a private sector CEO

[Coleman]

Yes, the President does not "run" the university.  The Chancellor and/or Provost do that.  The president

* raises money
* attracts attention to the University
* gets rich people to say yes to University wants and needs.

This is why politicians are a natural fit.  See Madison, Blank was a Politician, as was Shalala

If the Jesuits think the President runs the University (i.e., regularly meet with facilities management to discuss the number of clogged toilets in McCormick) then they think a CEO would be a better fit.  History shows very few CEOS are University Presidents?

So, what do the Jesuits think the Chancellor and/or Provost do?

Take another look at your list. These are almost all public schools, and none of them are Jesuit. In most state university systems, the President is in charge of administration of the entire system, not just one university. Chancellors run the individual universities. That is how the UW system operates.  

The Jesuit model operates a little differently. The president is actually more involved. We don't have a chancellor. The president of a Jesuit university is effectively both President and Chancellor. True, we have a provost, but that is not really responsible for the running of the entire university. The provost is the main academic administrator, they set curricula and hire deans. But the President is not just involved in PR and fundraising, as you suggest (while it is certainly a large part of his job). The President sets the overall direction for the university. He is involved in real estate decisions, expansions, building projects, hiring of administrators, long-term strategic planning, updating and enforcing university policies, serving as a liason with the city of Milwaukee, serving as a liason with the Society of Jesus, etc. I don't think you really understand everything a Marquette University president does. As I said, a politician would be a terrible choice at a university like Marquette. It should be a Jesuit, and if that is not possible, a Catholic layperson who has an understanding of Jesuit mission and Marquette's unique role in society, who is also able to fundraise effectively.

[ChicosBailBonds]

I think Feingold would be an apt choice.  He is a wisconsin native, has Ivy league connections and is well respected.

No thanks...donations going elsewhere if he is the choice

[Canned Goods n Ammo]

Yes, the President does not "run" the university.  The Chancellor and/or Provost do that.  The president

* raises money
* attracts attention to the University
* gets rich people to say yes to University wants and needs.

This is why politicians are a natural fit.  See Madison, Blank was a Politician, as was Shalala

If the Jesuits think the President runs the University (i.e., regularly meet with facilities management to discuss the number of clogged toilets in McCormick) then they think a CEO would be a better fit.  History shows very few CEOS are University Presidents?

So, what do the Jesuits think the Chancellor and/or Provost do?

I don't think the President gets into the minutia of clogged toilets, but it's my impression that he is involved in high level decision making. He's not just a PR and revenue generator.

Now, with this said, maybe it's time for MU to evolve the position(s). Maybe there needs to be a high level fundraiser/PR type, and a more COO-type. I don't know the academic world that well, so honestly, I don't know if that is the correct move.

[forgetful]

The PhD must be an MU rule because Mitch Daniel, President of Purdue (and former Governor of Indiana) does not have a PhD.  Anyone else know about the PhD rule?  Added:  Bart Giamatti was the President of Yale from 1977 to 1986 did not have a PhD (and became baseball commissioner after Yale) and Benno Schmidt Jr was Yale's President from 1986 to 1992 also did not have a PhD.

Also, some have noted that MU has another rule, the President must be Catholic (is this the case?).  That would rule out Kohl, Selig and Feingold as they are Jewish.

Again what is the job of a University President?  My answer is a rain maker both is raising money, attracting attention and getting powerful people to say yes.  Who best has these skills?  Answer: a politician ... party affiliation is not important.

MU may not require a PhD.  Many Universities do.  I believe almost all require it for a Provost position, may not be required of the Presidents as their job is mostly PR related and fundraising. 

If I was MU, I would go for the politically/business connected president and a young gunner/up and comer as the provost.  They would bring both discipline/experience and energy to the top two positions.

[Chicos' Buzz Scandal Countdown]

I don't think the President gets into the minutia of clogged toilets, but it's my impression that he is involved in high level decision making. He's not just a PR and revenue generator.

Now, with this said, maybe it's time for MU to evolve the position(s). Maybe there needs to be a high level fundraiser/PR type, and a more COO-type. I don't know the academic world that well, so honestly, I don't know if that is the correct move.

I'm sure you're the only one on this board without the expertise to properly evaluate this

[mu-rara]

A politician would be a terrible choice. They would be polarizing and would alienate half of the alumni and donor base. I don't care which side of the aisle you are on, but if Scott Walker, Paul Ryan or Russ Feingold was chosen, you would piss off half of our support base.

And while you are correct that they are mostly the fundraiser and figurehead, that makes choosing someone who will not piss people even more important.

Hiring a politician would piss off ideological jugheads. Those who discern the person from their politics would be fine.

[Eldon]

May be a layperson...

http://www.jsonline.com/news/education/next-marquette-president-may-not-be-lay-person-b99103491z1-224727492.html

Heres the link. University bylaws require that the president must be Catholic, and preference is given to the Society of Jesus.

This seems to rule out many of the abovementioned politicians.

[WarriorFan]

How about someone who understands that Students are Customers?

Wouldn't that be a welcome change?

[Sir Lawrence]

Theories as to his departure circulating campus this morning:

1.       He was not a good fund raiser – and introverted
2.       He did not interact well with the Jesuit community
3.       He was not liked by the students and faculty
4.       He did not attend the MU basketball games regularly – actually very infrequently
5.       the above could all be horse manure

[chapman]

4.       He did not attend the MU basketball games regularly – actually very infrequently

He must not have liked the mockery when the students refused to change the "Fa-ther Wi-ld!" chant.