Halfway through his second term, President Richard Brodhead will undergo a review commissioned by the Board of Trustees this Spring.
The review involves numerous conversations with Brodhead’s colleagues, faculty members, students, almuni and other members of the Duke community. The seven-member review committee is comprised of Trustees and faculty members and is led by Board Vice Chair Jack Bovender. In May, the committee will present its assessment to the Trustees, who will decide the reappointment of Brodhead, Bovender said.
Bovender, former chairman and CEO of Hospital Corporation of America and Health Administration’69, said the committee will consult a wide range of Duke affiliates, including the deans of every University school, faculty leadership, executive members of the Academic Council and past Trustees.
“It’s a very thorough process,” he said. “It takes a lot of time to do it and do it right.”
Brodhead, who became president of the University in 2004, was last reviewed in 2007—the midpoint of his first five-year term as president. This Spring’s assessment is part of a regular review process that occurs every five years and was first instituted in 1982.
The interviews should be completed by the end of February or the beginning of March, at which point the committee will begin the process of compiling all of their notes into a formal review, Bovender said.
The review committee includes Trustees Frank Emory, Trinity ’79; Robin Ferracone, Trinity ’75; and John Harpham, Trinity ’10. Joining the Trustees are Linda Burton, James B. Duke professor of sociology; Gregg Trahey, professor of biomedical engineering; and Dona Chikaraishi, professor of neurobiology and associate dean for biomedical graduate education and leadership services.
Vice President and University Secretary Richard Riddell said he commends the comprehensive nature of the presidential review process. Because the committee is comprised of both Trustees and faculty—who govern different aspects of the University—they can assess Brodhead’s performance from all angles.
“Every constituency is informed that the review is taking place, so there can be wide input to the committee on the president’s performance,” Riddell wrote in an email Sunday.
Chikaraishi said she has found her first review of an administrator to be an illuminating process because the people she has talked to have been so eager to share their opinion.
“Everyone I had to meet with was very agreeable,” Chikaraishi said. “They seem to be very good at volunteering their time, and they want to help [and] enable the process.”
As opposed to Trustees who spend most of their time away from Duke’s campus, Chikaraishi said she and her peers have the benefit of experiencing University issues and interacting with administrators on a day to day basis, bringing to light both the faculty and student perspectives.
“We’re certainly closer to the local environment and we can... address some of the things that people who aren’t on campus all the time wouldn’t necessarily be impacted by,” Chikaraishi said.
The committee will accept feedback from the Duke community on Brodhead’s performance until Feb. 20.
“I want to be very objective,” Bovender said. “We’re well into this process doing interviews, but it’s premature to make any kind of comment about what the result of this review is going to be.”
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