Duke Committee to Review President Brodhead
A similar review was carried out for Brodhead's predecessor, Nannerl O. Keohane, after her first three years in office.
A seven-member committee composed of members of the Board of Trustees and the faculty has been appointed to assess Richard H. Brodhead's first three years as president of Duke University.
The committee is to report to the Board of Trustees by the end of the calendar year. A similar review was carried out for Brodhead's predecessor, Nannerl O. Keohane, after her first three years in office and also in 2000.
"Since 1982, Duke has a system of regular reviews of its presidents, officers and deans. It's a process we find extremely valuable, helping us learn not only about the individuals involved but also about some of the issues and challenges facing the university," said Board of Trustees Chair Robert K. Steel.
Attorney Daniel T. Blue Jr. of Raleigh, the board's vice chair and a member of the N.C. House of Representatives, will lead the review. The other trustees on the committee are Paula P. Burger, dean for undergraduate education and vice provost of The Johns Hopkins University; Alan D. Schwartz, president of Bear Stearns Companies Inc.; and Anthony Vitarelli, a student at Yale Law School who, like the others, earned a degree from Duke.
The three faculty members on the committee are Sara Sun Beale, Charles L. B. Lowndes Professor of Law at Duke's School of Law; Dennis A. Clements, a professor of pediatrics, community and family medicine at Duke University Medical Center; and Sherman A. James, Susan B. King Professor of Public Policy Studies at the Terry Sanford Institute of Public Policy.
Steel consulted with the executive committees of both the board and the faculty's Academic Council in forming the committee. In his charge, he calls on the committee to gather information widely from members of the Duke community and leaders in higher education, focusing "on the effectiveness of the president in leading this complex and ambitious university and in articulating a vision for its future among leading universities."
Brodhead began his first five-year term as Duke's ninth president on July 1, 2004, and was formally inaugurated in Duke Chapel the following Sept. 18. An expert in 19th-century American literature, he came to Duke following a 32-year career at Yale University, including 11 years as dean of Yale College.
Blue, a Duke law graduate and former speaker of the N.C. House of Representatives, said his committee hopes to hear from Duke community members about how they think Brodhead is doing as president.
"We welcome members of the Duke community to contact us by regular mail or e-mail, and we'll share with the full board a summary of the information and opinions we gather," Blue said. "We're looking forward to hearing what people think about the effectiveness of the president in leading the university, articulating a vision for its future and advancing its interests. We'll treat all of the information confidentially, although our report may include without attribution some of the comments we receive."
Blue said the committee will place advertisements or notices in The Chronicle and online at Duke Today, soliciting comments by Nov. 1. Comments may be sent electronically to danblue@duke.edu or pres-review@duke.edu, or by regular mail to: Presidential Review Committee; Duke University; Daniel T. Blue, Jr., Chair; P.O. Box 91627; Raleigh, NC 27675.