The freshman

College president chronicles his journey of discovery

These days, he's consulting for an educational fundraising organization and an executive search firm. He's also writing a book aimed at parents of high school students about what their children are up to freshman year.

His brief interlude as a Johnnie changed him, he said. It convinced him - all over again - that yes, the classics are relevant. Teaching across disciplines, as the St. John's faculty does, contributes to an intellectually rich environment. Students benefit from a demanding academic program. Athletics are critically important.

And after a semester as a Johnnie, he's a better listener than he was before. "College presidents tend to think a lot of themselves," he said. "What I learned here is I didn't know everything. In the boat, being yelled at by my coxes and strokes who were teenagers was good for me."

He also learned that he has a tendency to be controlling and needed to ease his grip on the oar, as his grown daughter, a former college rower, told him. "Just let the oar handle rest loosely in your hands and enjoy life," she said when he called for advice - a refrain he returns to in the book again and again.

It was time to wrap up his visit back to campus, but Martin, who gets excited when he talks about ideas, wasn't done with his tour. First, he wanted to show off the school's oldest building and the room where he attended a moving holiday party at the end of his semester.

Finally, he headed back outside onto a lawn covered with yellow leaves and disappeared into the shadows of the quiet campus.