Reforming the presidency

Amidst the election of a new president of the United States, Duke too will see the selection of a new leader. President Richard Brodhead, after thirteen years of service, announced that he would step down from his position at the end of the 2017 Spring semester. As the search committee tasked with choosing his replacement vets candidates, the president’s unique position in the administration ought to be examined and reconsidered.

Unlike the provost and executive vice president, the president’s duties are not primarily managerial. Rather, the president of Duke functions like a head of state—presiding over large events, acting as a chief representative, announcing initiatives and preserving institutional cohesion. In the past year though, Duke students saw President Brodhead expand that role further. Following a series of racist and homophobic incidents, he held an open forum and attempted to become a sort of community moderator and conduit for student expression. Although the forum certainly did not resolve any of the pernicious longstanding issues on campus, it brought students of all stripes together with the most visible, highly-ranked employee of Duke and let their voices intermingle. As criticism concerning the gap between students and the general administration swells, such interactive opportunities are increasingly important.

Realistically, students have very few ways to convey their opinions to administrative figures. The president’s role should broaden to rectify that. By taking on a bigger spot in the community, the president could give an ear to oft ignored campus voices, increase the reflexivity of administration to students’ wishes and improve the administration’s general image.

One easy step to expand the president’s role in the Duke community would be to have him or her hold regular open forums. There is no need for such events to be limited to times of campus crisis. At a monthly or bimonthly gathering, students could express grievances and make suggestions while the president (and other administrators) could actively question them about those grievances and record their comments for higher-up meetings. While students and groups can already attend office hours with the president, public forums give a large chunk of the student body direct face-time with the head of their institution. An engaged president who held routine public forums in the manner described would do much to convince students that their administration is not a brick wall, impervious to suggestions. Although the forums would take time, money and dedication, they would be well worth the effort.

Another step a community-oriented president might take would be to address the student body more frequently. In times of excitement and campus news, students tend to dislike radio silence from the administration. Were a president to simply issue small public acknowledgements of big events on campus, students might feel less ignored by the administration; the president would have an easy way to put a friendly face on an otherwise easy scapegoat by simply communicating with students.

Moving forward, the Duke administration must become more permeable to student voices. By reimagining the role of the president, that can easily be accomplished. We urge the presidential search community to look for candidates who are excited at the prospect of interfacing with students and might fill the mold of a new type of president. Duke not only deserves an eminent scholar in its president’s office, but a person who can fit in and effectively communicate with its community.

Editor’s Note: This editorial was written by members of staff, rather than The Chronicle’s independent editorial board.