Torch Wishlist: VU's Next Chancellor

Sometime in the next few months, a very select nine-member body will make one of the most important decisions affecting Vanderbilt University’s destiny, and by extension, the futures of all its students and alumni for years to come. Of course, I am speaking of the Chancellor Search Committee, and their decision of whom to select as our new Chancellor should definitely be of utmost concern to us as members of the Vanderbilt community.

As the public face of Vanderbilt and perhaps the most important voice in the university, the new Chancellor will create and implement the university’s policies and agenda for years to come. However, it seems that surprisingly little input from the student body has reached those in charge of the Chancellor selection process, and they have resorted to spamming our e-mail inboxes for suggestions on selection criteria.

It would be a shame for the Search Committee to select a terrible replacement for the ex-Chancellor Gee due to a lack of feedback from students as to what issues and needs we feel that the next Chancellor should be able to address. Kudos to the three people that had the gumption to actually show up to the Chancellor search session, but such an exceptional showing of group apathy will only come back to haunt us in the future. If ten years down the line, we were to discover that the wrong choice was made, we would have already lost our right to complain about it since we are doing so little now to aid in the search for the best candidate.

So, the university wants to know what traits a good Chancellor-candidate should possess… well, here are some ideas.

1. The ability and willingness to communicate

One aspect of Gee that really impressed me, among his other strengths, was his willingness to connect with the student body at a level that my high school principal, who was in charge of much fewer people, would have envied. Chancellor Gee was everywhere chatting with everyone, and there was always the possibility that you would run into him on your way to class, while in line at Rand, or even on random Saturday nights at frat row. This is an especially impressive feat, considering that he was balancing the affairs of the university all while maintaining a link to the student body that he was serving. The next Chancellor should definitely possess Gee’s enthusiasm when it comes to associating with students on this individual level.

Also, although few in number, some of the biggest criticisms directed at Gee and the administration involve times when there was a lack of communication between the university and the students. The decision to cut Men’s Soccer and also to replace the Homecoming King and Queen with the Outstanding Senior award were two incidents where the administration unilaterally implemented policy changes, which were met with much opposition by students. Regardless of the wisdom of the administration’s choices, we should have been given more input or at least some advance notice about these larger decisions whose consequences directly affect us.

2. Some backbone

Vanderbilt should be flexible in its approach to building relationships with other groups, organizations, and institutions, but uncompromising when it comes to the core principles of the university itself. Our university has a distinctive identity as a top-tier Southern university.  Traditions, history, and culture distinguish Vanderbilt, and it should not have to redefine itself as something different or copy approaches adopted by other universities without good reason.

No doubt, there will also be pressure from various organizations both on and off campus to change some part of the university, but the new Chancellor should not be afraid to stand firm against pressure if any proposed change would be for the worse. Activist groups exist to protest all sorts of things that do not jive with their ideal utopian dreamland, but demonstrations and petitions alone should not compel future administrations to alter Vanderbilt to become more compatible with their worldview. And this brings us to point 3…

3. Not being arbitrary

Point 2 may entail that the new Chancellor take unpopular positions on certain issues, but so long as the administration provides adequate justification for whatever decisions are made, they’re doing the right thing. Even though student input should be taken into consideration, it is not always feasible. However, the administration can always be transparent when deliberating on what path the university should take. There shouldn’t be many national security secrets that could possibly prevent the Chancellor and company from helping us understand why the Board chose to pursue a certain course of action, so transparency should not be too much to ask for.

Of course, more funding for student-run political newspapers and a football bowl game would also be nice.