When asked yesterday what advice he would give his successor as president of the Johns Hopkins University, Dr. William R. Brody quipped: "Don't screw it up."
He was quoting New York Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, perhaps Hopkins' most famous living alumnus and a generous donor. Bloomberg recalls the quote rather differently - "I probably said it a little more vulgar than that," he said - but the words of wisdom might be apt for anyone taking the helm at an American university.
Hopkins officials are about to begin a national search to replace Brody, who announced yesterday that he will retire in December after 12 years as president. They'll need someone who doesn't just avoid mistakes but a scholar with impeccable credentials, business acumen, management skills, fundraising prowess and the political genius to negotiate Baltimore politics and international relations as Hopkins continues to expand to places such as China.
"Institutions are no longer isolated the way they used to be," said Claire Van Ummersen, the former president of Cleveland State University and former chancellor of the University System of New Hampshire. "There really is not an ivory tower any longer. Presidents need to walk on water. That's usually what they're looking for."
As universities have expanded their academic roles to become major cultural, athletic and economic engines, their presidents have come under the sort of withering scrutiny normally reserved for politicians.
Their salaries have become a spectator sport and their words parsed for every objectionable insinuation. Harvard University President Lawrence H. Summers resigned in 2006 after a national uproar over comments he made about women and science. More recently, Duke University President Richard Brodhead has received criticism for his handling of rape accusations falsely leveled against members of the men's lacrosse team.
"In a job like this, you get an opportunity to make a mistake every day," said Goucher College President Sanford J. Ungar. "I think [Brody has] avoided them more than most."
Bloomberg, who became a billionaire by launching a financial news empire, said running a university is "one of the most difficult jobs in the country."
During his tenure at Hopkins, Brody has had to contend with the occasional scandal that visited unflattering attention on the Baltimore campus. He has emerged relatively unscathed, largely because of swift administrative response.
