The Presidential Search Committee has narrowed the candidate pool down to two candidates.
The leaders of Registered Student Organizations were invited for question-and-answer sessions with each candidate. Patrick Harker, dean of the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, and Michael Hogan, executive vice president and provost at the University of Iowa, met with a mixture of undergraduate and graduate students Wednesday and yesterday, respectively, to discuss the students' concerns.
The Review chose a selective number of qualifications and achievements to offer a brief view of each candidate.
PATRICK T. HARKER
Education
Bachelor of Science in Engineering in Civil and Urban Engineering, UPenn, 1981
Master of Science in Engineering in Civil and Urban Engineering, UPenn, 1981
Master of Arts in Economics, UPenn, 1983
Doctorate in Civil Engineering, UPenn, 1983
Qualifications:
Interim or appointed Dean of the Wharton School at UPenn from 1999-present
UPS Transportation Professor of the Private Sector from 1991-2000
Chairman, Department of Operations and Information Management, the Wharton School at the UPenn, 1997-1999
Trustee, Goldman Sachs Trust and Goldman Sachs Variable Insurance Trust, 2000-present
Director, Fishman-Davidson Center for the Study of the Service Sector, The Wharton School, 1989-1994
Notable Achievements:
Named by President George H.W. Bush as White House Fellow, 1991-1992.
Named ISI Highly Cited Researcher (Mathematics), 2004
2002 Alan Goldman lecturer, Department of Mathematical Sciences, John Hopkins University
2002 Wei Lun Distinguished Visiting Professor, Chinese University of Hong Kong
1998 David W. Hauck Outstanding Teaching in the Undergraduate Division, the Wharton School
Talking Points:
How would you preserve quality of the school while maintaining a sufficient amount of in-state students?
Harker said the university should continually increase the bar for all applicants, but should also institute some programs for in-state students to uphold the obligation of a state university. He was particularly adamant about maintaining a high standard for all prospective students.
"That's the obligation of a state university like the state of Delaware and the University of Delaware - to make sure it's open and accessible to its citizens who back it with their dollars," he said. "But it also has to send a message at the same time. While it's making sure it's accessible, that accessibility means meeting this requirement because to lower that, lowers the whole standard of the state."
How would you balance the equality of university departments?
The university should not diminish the quality of more prestigious departments but should think of ways to improve other departments to enrich the university as a whole, Harker said.
"The goal of the president is not to diminish the quality of the things that you have strong. As Peter Drucker, who is a manager guru, said 'Rule One: play to your strengths. Never give up your strengths.' That's suicide," he said. "The goal is to bring the others up with you."
How would you distinguish opinion of the president and the university?
Harker said he believes open communication between faculty and students is imperative to ensure that when the president speaks, his opinions truly reflect the entire university.
"If there is a general consensus of what the right thing is or if you have a deeply-held belief as an individual, then you have a right to speak up," Harker said. "The president has to be really careful. There's speaking ex cathedra as opposed to speaking as an individual. When you speak on behalf of the institution, you've got to make sure the institution agrees."
How would you further the university's reputation?
Harker said he wanted to incorporate alumni networks to draw more students to the university. He also said he wanted to increase racial and geographical diversity on campus by bringing in more international students.
"The world is getting incredibly small and you need to start interacting a lot with lots of different people to get their perspectives," he said. "Some of the problems the world faces today are that we just don't know each other. Higher education is that place where we can bring that together."
Why do you want to be president?
Harker said he would have been content with being a professor had he not joined the White House Fellows program, which opened his eyes to larger issues.
"I really think Delaware is poised to be an exemplar of what a model state university should be," he said.
MICHAEL J. HOGAN
Education:
Bachelor of Arts in English, University of Northern Iowa
Master of Arts in History, University of Iowa
Doctorate in History, University of Iowa
Qualifications
Executive vice president and provost, University of Iowa, 2004-present
F. Wendell Miller Professor of History, University of Iowa, 2004-2006
Dean, College of Arts and Sciences, Ohio State University, 2001-2004
Dean, College of Humanities, Ohio State University, 1999-2003
Chair, Department of History, Ohio State University, 1993-1999
Notable Achievements
University Distinguished Scholar, Ohio State University, 1990-2004
President, Society for Historians of American Foreign Relations, 2003
Louis Martin Sears Distinguished Scholar Award, Ohio State University, 1990
The Tom L. Evans Fellowship, Harry S. Truman Library Institute for National and International Affairs, 1980
Woodrow Wilson Fellow, The Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, Washington, D.C., 1980
Talking Points
How will the lack of buildings for different minority groups be addressed?
Hogan said he is familiar with the absence of localized minority centers on campus. "I've seen this issue played out in several different places. So I would hear that and think about it," he said. "There is never going to be a perfect solution but since you don't have these [buildings] yet, now is the time to think about how you are going to put it together because once you get it together, it's hard to back away from it. Then it is a big issue."
How would you maintain a relationship between the city of Newark and the university?
Hogan said the relationship between the University of Iowa and its town is close and he would want a similar situation between the city of Newark and the university.
"I feel that the campus and the town here are obviously physically very close. There's naturally going to be issues - that's inevitable - particularly if you're a landlocked campus like Delaware is, but you have to work through those with the town," Hogan said. "You are not only a member of the university but a member of a larger Newark community, and I think it would be good for more students to be involved in the community."
Is a university president a public figure?
Hogan said he believed the role of the president is a public one which involves obligations to the state and its citizens.
"The president of Delaware - and I know this is true - the president you have now is the public face of this university and should be seen around the state marketing the university and trying to be helpful in developing the state and local community," he said, "and to take advantage of the local community to get great service learning opportunities for the students on campus and promote campus internships because we are educating the citizens."
Where do you see the university progressing from here?
Hogan said that he doesn't have a definite plan but would involve the university in planning for the future.
"I don't know the answer to that for sure," he said. "I don't know what else might be done, but I know how to think about those kinds of things as an academic administrator. I think you've got some wonderful colleges that can help me think about it, and we'll find a path to the future together."
Why Delaware?
Hogan said the university has an enthusiastic student body, progressive academic standing and secure financial backing.
"It's just a great opportunity that I think I'm prepared for and ready for. It's a good fit for someone like me," he said. "I come out of an undergraduate college where I also have a very strong research record in graduate education and all of those things exist here in high quality. The university is really at a tipping point."
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