Dear President Bienen,

I know you’re a busy guy, but I don’t think you’d mind a little note from one of your undergraduate customers. President Bienen, I’m concerned about money. And if you’re anything like most university presidents, so are you.

For a majority of college presidents, their job is all about the Benjamins, according to a piece in last month’s New York Times. Five of the six most pressing issues for college heads are related to finances. Half of school presidents spend time fund-raising every day, and two-fifths said discussing financial matters with their staff was one of their highest daily priorities. Only 28 percent said they deal with student affairs daily.

Northwestern is no different. Securing donors for new buildings, selling out school names for a few million bucks and entering partnerships with Corporate America have been prominent issues on campus recently. While you’ve been spending your time on these issues, I doubt you’ve thought much about whether I’m enjoying my classes or if I like the sushi at Norris.

Professors balance their time between teaching classes, grading papers and conducting their own research. While students spend a great deal of time worrying about the first two, NU focuses primarily on the latter. Published articles and cutting-edge experiments are crucial for faculty members to get noticed. But how important are CTECs and satisfied students when deciding whether a professor should be promoted?

When the dining hall of 1835 Hinman was remodeled over the summer, very few students knew about it – even though the change only affects us. Had students been able to give input, we would have told you to revamp the meal quality instead of making the hall look like a hospital cafeteria. But we weren’t even asked about it, and that’s not right.

I understand that a college is a business and that, just like CVS or Boeing, NU is out to make money. But such an emphasis on research and partnerships belittles the importance of our education and the college experience we value.

Instead of worrying about creating another Lyrica or renaming a building after alumni, the focus of the university needs to shift to the students’ satisfaction. We’ve decided to give $160,000 – and the best four years of our life – to NU. In turn, we expect a top-notch education and an overall experience we will smile about for a lifetime.

And to get the return value on our investment, we need your help. Ask us what changes we want to see in the university. Last year’s survey about Norris improvements was a great start. Find out what we value and what we want out of our time at NU. And get to know us as individuals and students rather than dollar signs and tuition payments. With a little effort on your part, you can turn my impression around and make me and my 8,000 peers satisfied customers.

And just think of the alumni grants that will rake in.

Matt Baker is a Medill sophomore. He can be reached at [email protected].