Ivy League sees high presidential turnover

The Ivy League may be a collection of the country's oldest colleges and universities -- steeped in centuries of tradition -- but in recent years, it has certainly seen its share of new faces.

Once University President Judith Rodin officially steps down in July, her successor will be among six of the eight Ivy League presidents to have served in their positions for less than three years -- leaving the consortium of schools in the hands of mostly new leadership. And while the transition between presidents is certainly a major issue for any individual college or university community to deal with, it also has implications for the world of higher education.

Some predict that this seemingly rapid turnover will have a noticeable effect.

"I would say it's going to be unusual," said James Riepe, the chairman of the University Board of Trustees. "You always have a few rookie presidents, but this will be an unusual year after Dr. Rodin leaves."

"There'll be a bit of a learning curve," Riepe added.

Brown University President Ruth Simmons -- who is beginning her third year in that role -- disagreed with Riepe's remark.

The high volume of new presidencies is "completely unremarkable," Simmons said. "So many of the presidents have extraordinarily deep experiences" which will contribute to the harmonious running of both their universities and the Ivy League.

"I think that the presidential searches of particular campuses will bring people in to continue the work that has been done so far without missing a step," she added.

With so few Ivy League veterans among the presidents, the net effect may be "some collaborative rethinking of some things that have been on the agenda for a while," said Marvin Lazerson, the co-chair of the Higher Education Division at the Graduate School of Education and former interim University Provost.

For instance, he noted that newer presidents may be more likely to examine issues surrounding financial aid offerings in the Ivy League, a topic that has been controversial among past administrations.

"Despite the legal restrictions, they may try to figure out what the Ivy League's position on financial aid should be," Lazerson said.

"There is a lot of ambiguity about merit financial aid versus need-based financial aid, lots of ambiguity about loans versus grants, and there may be some attempt to define what these schools' guidelines should be."

Other higher education experts simply say that at this point, it is too soon to tell to what extent the turnover will affect the Ivy League.

"It's hard to say what impact this will have," said Paul Hassen, assistant director of public affairs at the American Council on Education.

"You will see new ideas approached, but [ones that are] respectful of the traditions of the Ivy League as well," he added.

In addition to Simmons, two other current Ivy League presidents entered office in the summer of 2001 -- Shirley Tilghman of Princeton University and Lawrence Summers of Harvard University.

Lee Bollinger of Columbia University and Jeffrey Lehman of Cornell University took the helm of their particular schools more recently -- in June of 2002 and July of 2003, respectively.

Yale University President Richard Levin is the longest-standing current Ivy League president, having been in office since 1993. Following him is James Wright, who has served as Dartmouth's president since April of 1998.

Furthermore, some say that there could be broader repercussions on the Ivy League's objectives as a whole.

"A college president sets the tone for the campus," said Hassen, and it is "his or her role to establish a vision and set the institution towards" the accomplishment of those goals -- goals that could easily change under new administrative direction.

"Search committees work to select good people to carry on the traditions of the institution while bringing in new ideas from outside the campus," he added, noting that it is because the Ivy League has "a long history and a long tradition," that it is important for the new presidents to continue leading their institutions in new directions.

"New leadership at the top moves the university in a new direction," he said.

However, he added that "changes don't happen overnight," and that rather than completely overhauling established tradition, "presidents are selected to help continue moving institutions down their selected path."

In Rodin's case, while her successor will likely face new challenges, he or she will also need to deal with more long-term issues, such as improving campus safety and bridging the University with the surrounding community.

The rush of incoming presidents will also likely place a strong focus on increasing fundraising efforts.

"The president is a primary fundraiser," Lazerson said, "and one of the most important roles she engages in is channeling new money to the universities' highest priorities."

And it is with these sorts of goals in mind that Penn hopes to find the next president for the University -- one to both continue fulfilling Rodin's objectives, but also to take the institution in new directions.

While there is disagreement as to what the overall effect of the recent turnover of Ivy League presidents will be, Simmons said that Rodin's contributions will be missed.

"I will especially miss Judith Rodin and her involvement," she said, "because she is especially effective with her own breadth of vision that I think the Ivy League needs."

Simmons stressed, in particular, that the current group of Ivy League presidents -- both the newer ones and the veterans -- needs to focus on maintaining an accurate reputation for the group of schools.

We must avoid "being seen as an elitist group," Simmons said. "We must be involved with projects and conversations with the rest of the higher education world, and not become so self-regarding that we lose touch with the people who we're trying to serve."

Additionally, though, "We must try to maintain the highest level of academic quality."

"The Ivy League is a set of unique institutions with a tremendous academic and research program," Hassen said. "For some people, it defines what higher education is in the United States."

About this series Penn is a very different place now than it was back in 1994, when University President Judith Rodin first took the helm. And now that Rodin has announced that she will leave her position in June, the University is apt to see more changes in the future. For the next week and a half, The Daily Pennsylvanian will examine a variety of issues, events and people on and around campus that have been affected under Rodin's decade-long tenure. Topics will range from Penn's reputation in higher education to the build-up of retail around campus to expectations for Rodin's successor.

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