Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Higher education UA Board hears 2 candidates for president UPDATE
Posted by Max Brantley on Wed, Jul 13, 2011 at 4:37 PM
Behind the scenes the politicking has been fierce, particularly in behalf of Reed, former head of the Arkansas Farm Bureau. His participation in the private school, Lee Academy, founded in 1969 as a response to public school integration, is a subject about which he presumably will be asked. His leadership of the Farm Bureau when it backed ballot measures aimed at restricting rights of gay people is another relevant topic in light of university policies that bar discrimination on account of sexual orientation. The UA also has had ongoing discussions about allowing coverage of domestic partners of university employees on group health insurance.
The candidates are meeting in turn with chancellors of the UA system.
UPDATE: In talking with reporters after his interview, Churchill, the only candidate who didn't attend a UA campus, emphasized his many family ties to the UA (including his wife) and his own affection for the school. He mentioned state support for higher education as a top challenge and said he could be an effective advocate with the legislature. He confirmed a reader's comment here that he was a blue ribbon winner for his pickled okra, at the 1980 Faulkner County Fair, while on the faculty at Hendrix College.
UPDATE II: Perhaps because Churchill is a philosopher by training and Bobbitt a chemist, Bobbitt's answers seemed more specific in comparison to Churchill's thematic responses to reporter questions. Bobbitt was at once bold — in responding to a question about the role of the president he said it was no time for the status quo — and cautious. In response to a question about health insurance for domestic partners of faculty members, Bobbitt said this was a charged issue and that university presidents needed to be careful not to get out in front of boards or boards out in front of the people, whatever individual feelings might be. Note to Paul Greenberg: Though he was careful, Bobbitt said the reduced core curriculum could be a good thing — and in practice had been — when it created new opportunities for students, such as by giving them the latitude to achieve real mastery in a foreign language.
POLITICAL UPDATE: As I've mentioned before, Reed went into these interviews believed to have three solid votes from the Delta trustees, but some strong opposition. His backers have always felt he'd be a second ballot victor, after other candidates failed to muster the necessary majority on the 10-member board. The likelihood of that increased today with some apparent support forming around Churchill and Bobbitt that could send backers of one or the other into Reed's camp. A third option with a fractured board — and feelings are deep enough that it's not certain a candidate, particularly Reed, could get a final unanimous vote — would be to not pick a candidate tomorrow and start over. Alan Sugg undoubtedly would be willing to postpone his retirement a bit longer.
Think about it though. From the Board of a segregation academy to head of a university system. That would be quite a journey. Maybe a story of interest to national media.
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Comments (21)
Showing 1-21 of 21
It has to be noted that only one candidate, John Churchill, has been recognized with a blue ribbon for pickled okra. Probably learned that in Oxford.
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WE NEED TO DANCE WITH WHAT BRUNG US, FARMING.
WHEN PEOPLE LEAVE THE FARM, THEY GET UPPITY AND TOO SMART FOR THEIR OWN GOOD.
With Broadway at Higher Ed and now Reed at the UofA it becomes pretty obvious that neither position had real educational relevance.
Not that it matters, but based on what others have posted here and also on what I’ve read elsewhere about ‘em, I’m very much impressed with Bobbitt and Churchill.
A strong academic background is very important, ya dang tootin’, but these boys had also better know how to play the ever-important political games (they are perplexing are many in number) and sharpen up on their bidness skills.
Why?
Because we’re not talking about just a campus here, as some seem to think. We’re talkin’ a statewide system that enrolls 66,000 students, has 17,000+ employees on and in 17 campuses and units (including a major research and teaching hospital), and has a budget of $2 billion.
The UofA System job is a helluva big one. Academic background + political savvy + bidness acumen: Ya better have all three. And that’s just for starters.
The selection of the next U of A president will say a lot about whether the state of Arkansas is moving forward or backward.
I say Durango nailed it!
As a former professor, I look for academic credentials.
But not everyone with academic credentials has business acumen and/or political savvy. And that includes me.
I probably could have handled department chair, or perhaps even division chair. But I'd probably have been over my head as a dean, let alone a small college president because I didn't have any business background, let alone political experience.
It takes all three tracks for the subway train to run. No use arguing over which is the most or least important; if any one is not functioning, the train don't run--or is headed for a catastrophic wreck!
IMHO
Here's John Churchill's blog. He's the obvious choice for system president.
http://blog.pbk.org/
Goof,
Fractured sentence. He was not a founder, but served on Lee Academy Board later.
Again..............If the "Good 'ol [white] Boys hire anyone other that Oldham or Reed I will eat Tap's hat!
I agree with SP, we either move forward or we reconfirm for everyone that this is just a small inconsequential stste where politics is what matters.
The two gentlement with the credentials will do very well without having to work for UA but I am not sure the same can be said about UA doing as well without either of them.
Great, so there seem to be two qualified candidates for University president, one of them a former UA dean and current U Texas provost, and two unqualified candidates - a banker and a farmer - and all bets are on the farmer? If it plays out like this, Thank God for Mississippi won't help us this time. (Absolutely nothing against farmers but enough said about that particular one.)
Arkansas Media Watch
http://arkansasmediawatch.wordpress.com/
"The selection of the next U of A president will say a lot about whether the state of Arkansas is moving forward or backward."
Sound Policy is spot on. This is a watershed moment for the UA Board of Trustees, the UA System and the State of Arkansas.
"Good grief! Churchill looks like the youngest son of Col. Harlan Sanders who was kept in the family spice cabinet for 11 years.
The selection of Stanley Reed as President of the UA System would give a black eye to higher education in Arkansas.
.
>>As I've mentioned before, Reed went into these interviews believed to have three solid votes from the Delta trustees, but some strong opposition. <<
I hope it's strong enough. I have a few friends, proffs in College of A&Sm who would leave in a heartbeat if Reed becomes head and imposes the teaching of his beloved "Creationism" in UA system classes. Can't you see Reed replacing faculty meetings with good ole evangelical prayer meetings. Think I'm kidding? Check this nutcake's background. Max has some of it.
The fix is in, "Farm Bureau" Reed will likely get appointed. This interview process is just a show, as the board members have likely made their decision some time ago.
If Reed gets the nod, I may have to give up on Arkansas and move to Belize. I'm surrounded by farmers here and not all of them are creationists. Even my sweet little Christian Mom understood evolution and she only made it through high school. Somehow Arkansas has found a farmer with an advanced degree who is creationist and he is the best we can do for head of the UA? Surely not. If Reed is the choice, cue the laughter as the Ozark Hill Billy stereotype strikes again.
Oh, and in Stewart's moment of zen, some douche on Beck's replacement show says that Michelle Obama's foray to the Shake Shack in D.C. for a burger and fries, was the caloric equivalent of eating a "live raccoon" and he wins the prize this week for dog whistles.
Hell, that wasn't a dog whistle. To borrow Grannie's technique: THAT WAS A FUCKING BUGLE CALL.
I sure hope the Board sees Bobbit for the breath of fresh air he could be System wide. They have nothing to lose and everything to gain by hiring him. And heck, if it doesn't work out, it'll be easy enough for them to run him off. But put a guy like Reed or Oldham (and maybe Churchill) in and its like a US Supreme Court appointment. I know that some of the good old boys are nearly apoplectic at the thought of it. But maybe that's the best endorsement of all.
Mr. Reed was killed in a auto accident outside of Augusta July,15th. Prayers to his family and friends.
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