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Blog ArchiveA Nation of Screamers
Graham Spanier
Our nation will soon inaugurate a new president. Also this year, as every year, scores of new college and university presidents were installed.December 8, 2008 New university presidents usually get a good deal of advice about insurmountable problems, using resources the institution doesn't yet have, in order to address issues they don't even know about yet. When I first became a chancellor, one higher education commissioner told me "Being a university president is like being captain of a ship … where everyone mutinies … but no one jumps ship." It is the nature of educational institutions to have noise in the system. Discussion and debate are an essential part of university life. This contributes to the educational mission of higher education and has the power to shape intellectual discourse, ethical practices and civic participation. This can be exhilarating for those coming from academic roots but frustrating for others. Some new presidents get discouraged quickly because of the dissension they encounter, admittedly sometimes of their own making. But at the same time there are some notable changes in the societal climate in which we operate. To some degree we have become a society of screamers. Just look at the cable network news shows. Each night two or more folks are put up on the screen, sometimes debating each other in orderly fashion, but more often interrupting each others, and occasionally being downright rude toward each other. We expect people — we even want people — to take extreme positions on issues. Are you pro or con? Left or right? With us or against us? Many leaders believe that all decisions are strategic decisions. But they are not. Most decisions are people decisions. We need to be accessible, reach out to people, and strive to understand diverse viewpoints. The truth of the matter is that the world doesn't normally operate at the extremes. Few things are black or white. It is in the gray areas where most of the world operates. It is in the gray areas where compromises are made. It is in the gray areas where people must come to terms with decisions in the workplace, in their community, and across borders. |
