Lessons learned
It was a very painful process, but in the end Gov. Lincoln Almond and the Board of Governors for Higher Education, bowing to considerable public pressure, did what was right by offering University of Rhode Island President Robert L. Carothers a three-year contract extension. It was also a process filled with lessons that exposed our weaknesses, and demonstrated our strengths.
Count among the lessons – and strengths – the overwhelming public support from so many sectors, including students at the university, who learned that if you stand up for what you believe in, even the most recalcitrant of public officials will bend and recognize that there are other views to be considered.
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Count among our weaknesses an awful public display by some members of the Board of Governors, whose poorly supported public allegations of fiscal mismanagement at URI and groundless complaints of Dr. Carothers’ strained relationship with the General Assembly became fodder for those who opposed renewing Dr. Carothers contract by any more than a year.
And count among the lessons the politicization of the process, showing how this board – and many others involved at all levels of education — have placed politics before policy, shunting aside the educational issues and educational advocacy that is so desperately needed in Rhode Island to improve our public education.
Count among our weaknesses, the failure of the Almond administration to decisively state its support for Dr. Carothers from the beginning, failing to publicly recognize the gains of the university and the overwhelming benefits of strong and decisive leadership at our state’s major public institution of higher learning. And failing to understand that it was precisely Dr. Carothers’ decisive leadership, advocacy and vision, that we also expect from the board.
While Dr. Carothers reappointment seemingly sets things right, there is much healing and confidence building yet to do. Yes, Dr. Carothers and the board need to co-exist and together become advocates for the system, but the board needs to restore the confidence in it that has been lost. It must position itself as an advocate for the system, with paramount concern for important policy issues at our state’s colleges and university. It needs to restore trust, from the students at the university, the faculty, the business community and countless residents in this state who privately have expressed their disgust during this debacle.
And we wouldn’t find it out of the question, as one leading business advocate has suggested, for a legislative review of the Board of Governors, its mission and its membership.
If this process has demonstrated anything, it is that it is flawed. This time political pressure did not win over sound public policy, but unless the system changes, the day will come when we will surely sacrifice a valuable individual, program or policy, because it simply doesn’t fit the political agenda.
Thankful at Thanksgiving
For most of us, come this Thursday we should do more than just carve the turkey, watch the local high school football game, or enjoy the company of friends and relatives. There is cause to truly give thanks.
While we have issues and problems to deal with, most of us are removed from the tragedies that abound around the globe – the brutality of Colombian society; the famine, drought and war of the Sudan; wars in Kosovo, East Timor, and Chechnia; natural disasters caused by cyclones and earthquakes; assaults at schools and in workplaces across this country; and homelessness and deprivation.
We live in a state where the quality of life is outstanding and in a time when unemployment is low and the economy is good.
While charitable giving and involvement is a year-round event, the holidays are always a good reminder that we are part of a larger community, and that we must do our part to make the community a better place for everyone.
