The Soul of the University

My friend the Friar has an interesting post over at his blog on the topic of the "dwindling power of the faculty" in universities today.

This touches on something I and another former professor of mine were discussing the other day. In any good university, the soul of what goes on is in the faculty and in the relationship between the teachers and students. The faculty preserve and guard knowledge, while passing it on to future generations of students, some of whom will eventually become teachers themselves. The university can rightly be said to exist for this purpose. Therefore, the job of school administrators and non-academic staff is to facilitate the work of the faculty and the learning of the students.

I think that the recent decline (some would say self-destruction) of my alma mater can be summed up in saying that the above isn't what happened. The president of the college (now the chancellor), did not understand the nature of his role. He assumed that the college was like the organization he had previously founded, which had scores of staff all working to accomplish his ends. Rather than dedicating himself to serving the students and the faculty by creating a place where liberal learning could take place, he assumed that the college existed to serve his goals, ambitions, and plans. Rather than protecting the faculty's space to teach truth in the manner they saw fit, he invaded that space by trying to architect a curriculum on his own model. Rather than understanding himself as part of a complex institution that existed for a purpose outside himself, he saw the college as an extension of himself or a tool he could wield at will. Any criticism of the way things were being done at the college, therefore, he saw as an affront and a personal attack on himself.

Sadly, it seems that this perspective is shared by the new president of the college, as well. Recent reports indicate that the president has said he believes that "honor should be given where it is due." Therefore he is considering handing back to the chancellor much of the power and authority that was seconded from him in his move from president to chancellor. Sad, and ill-advised, but not altogether surprising. The circumstances of the new president's hiring made it clear that he had been handpicked by the now-chancellor to be of like mind.

So, Mr. Chancellor, and Mr. President, listen to this advice: Do not persist in thinking that the college is yours to do with as you please. Do not continue to think that it is a tool you can use to "reclaim America" or some such end. Do not continue to assume that the faculty and the students are there to serve you. Find faculty who are trustworthy and competent (like the ones you alienated), and let them do their jobs. Trust them to teach the truth in their respective disciplines, even if you don't like every word they say or every conclusion their students come to. Dedicate yourselves to serving, rather than being served; to learning, rather than dictating, and there may yet be hope for your college.