When University President Henry Bienen steps down this summer, Northwestern will see the end of a 14-year era of rising academic prestige and increased wealth under his leadership.
But at the same time, Williams College President Morton Schapiro, who was chosen to succeed Bienen in January, will take over an endowment that has lost about one quarter of its value over the last year, a campus concerned with its lack of diversity and a strained relationship with the Evanston community.
Schapiro, who will be coming from a school with a total enrollment roughly the size of NU’s graduating class this year, will also have to manage several professional schools and a one-year-old campus in the Middle East.
Next week, The DAILY will publish a five-part series called “Life after Bienen,” in which five reporters examine some of the most pressing issues in the coming years.
The first installment, an in-depth look at NU’s increasing presence overseas, will be written by Medill sophomore Nathalie Tadena. With the first year of classes underway for the 38 students enrolled at NU’s campus in Doha, Qatar, Tadena will report on the school’s triumphs and trials as it progresses. She’ll also investigate the plausibility of opening a campus in India, a project university officials have been looking into for months.
Brian Rosenthal, a Medill sophomore, will write the second chapter, an exposé on the relationship between Evanston and NU. Beginning in the mid-19th Century, when the university and city were both founded, and ending with the prospect of a new mayor and a new university president taking office together next year, Rosenthal will examine the troubled history of town-gown relations and why the future may be brighter.
On Wednesday, Medill sophomore Christina Salter will analyze minority enrollment at NU and other diversity issues on campus. Of course, you’ve heard about the lack of diversity in this year’s freshman class, but what are attitudes on race like once you arrive? Does NU’s culture perpetuate a social segregation in the dining halls and student residences? Some argue Schapiro pursued a much more aggressive role in promoting integration at Williams compared to Bienen at NU, who focused mainly on admissions. What will that mean for the university’s future?
Christina Chaey, a Medill sophomore, will analyze NU’s financial state in an article Thursday. With the hit on the endowment, a 3 percent decrease in the school’s operating budget and a freeze on hiring for new positions, NU seems to be in dire condition. Administrators, however, are saying we’re still better off than our peer institutions. How drastically will the recession change NU and other universities across the nation?
Finally, Kirsten Salyer will finish off the quarter with a profile of Schapiro and a look into what he will bring to NU. From his high school days as a “deadhead” to publishing six books on the financing of higher education, the next university president has led a fascinating life. Salyer, a Medill sophomore, will examine his past and analyze what his leadership might mean for NU.
Medill sophomore Sean Collins Walsh can be reached at [email protected].
