I am disappointed in the vision statement the Presidential Search Committee put out for prospective presidents. The things they are looking for – excellent fundraising skills, focusing on academics, etc, – they all call for a technocrat. Don’t get me wrong, I think we do need someone with all those skills in office. But can’t our president also be a visionary? An inspirational, inspired figure? I don’t want Brandeis to steadily claw its way up the ranks to “best small research university in the country”, though that would be excellent. I want Brandeis to transcend these silly rankings and become the most rewarding, spiritually fulfilling, undergraduate experience out there. I want Brandeis to become a hub of social justice activism and scholarship. Brandeis should make a positive change on the world. Educating students slightly better than at rival schools – is that all we can strive for? Brandeis deserves better than such unworthy goals.
2 thoughts on “A Better Vision for Brandeis”
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I disagree with you, Sahar. That sounds wonderful, and that’s exactly what I want Brandeis to be.
That’d be inspiring to me. I already like it here, find myself intellectually happy. And any top school does do that, is a great place to be. But being better? 🙂
They did mention the vision aspect there (“The next president must seek to further campus community engagement as well as “generate and articulate a vision for Brandeis, both within the university community and to the outside world”). Na?