There was no mention of weapons of mass destruction programs during
University President Henry Bienen’s State of the University address on Tuesday. Alas, there were no promises of leaving no undergraduate behind either.
Yes, he did pay respects to a few students who won awards and fellowships. But there was not much else mentioned about student life.
By now, this is not really a surprise. Bienen’s remarks reveal how important he and the rest of the administration consider us to the state of this university — not that much.
There was a lot of talk of money and, it should be said, most of it was great news. It looks as if there will not be cuts to academic programs this year, scholarship money for undergrads is up and, if the Pregabalin drug pays off, Northwestern could see itself with a lot of opportunities.
That money and the $1.55 billion from Campaign Northwestern will ensure our degrees keep looking good.
But with all the efforts to make NU competitive with the Ivy League (especially Bienen’s beloved Princeton University), administrators have forgotten that NU is a place to receive an education, not just a degree.
Bienen wrote to me in an e-mail that he hasn’t neglected undergrads. “The largest student demand when I came here was for new on-campus residences,” he said, highlighting the two dorms he had built. (Never mind Slivka Residential College was built over what little open space existed in the fraternity quads. But I digress.)
In his e-mail, he affirmed his goal of keeping academic programs strong. “Are you at a University or what?” he asked. I sure hope I am, Mr. President, but this isn’t a trade school or a degree factory like the University of Phoenix Online either. What makes the American university experience special is the genuine sense of community — which should come from the top-down.
My favorite moment was when Bienen’s cronies came up with the idea to pave over part of The Lagoon. They did not consult with students for one obvious reason: they didn’t want to.
This was their most ridiculous effort but by no means the only one. There was no mention Tuesday of a new student union, which Bienen has supported before, and no sign of any progress. No word on expanding the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Resource Center beyond its (ironically enough) closet size. I’m not naive enough to believe they should put the money toward operating expenses, but can any of Bienen’s pet projects make this campus more livable?
Perhaps Bienen should consider a concept that was in the State of the Union speech: regime change. Bienen, who came to NU in 1995, has said the position of university president should not be long-term. Well, with nearly 10 years under his belt, perhaps it is time for him to consider whether he still is the right person for the job.
The money has been raised; Bienen can hang up that “Mission Accomplished” banner (no word if he’s got a flight suit). But now that he’s proven himself as a fund raiser, he ought to look at whether he is in touch with students. If the answer is no — and I think it is — then a change is in order.
