Posts by Graham Spanier

November 6, 2008, 08:45 AM ET

Not in the Leadership Manual

By Graham Spanier

If you listened to all of the analysis, discussions, debates, rumors, Internet legends, and late-night jokes, one would believe that leadership was the key to this election victory. But of the many government, business, and academic leaders I know, the path to leadership is decidedly unpredictable, even unexpected.

I’ve never met a university president who will admit to starting out his or her career with the goal of becoming a university president. The majority of us started out as academics, as professors who wanted to teach, do research, and publish our work. We wanted to excite our students and contribute to knowledge.

Somewhere along the way we were lured into administration. Usually, with the first couple of administrative posts, we retained our professorial identity, fooling ourselves into believing that the administrative assignment was a short-term endeavor and that we...

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November 3, 2008, 09:45 AM ET

What Matters Most to Americans?

By Graham Spanier

With the election upon us, I have been fascinated by the media’s recap of important issues to the American public. I believe voters’ guides provide an excellent snapshot into the top concerns of the American public. Unfortunately, that picture is not pretty for those in education.

The New York Times “Election Special Issue” covered “Where the candidates stand on what matters most to Americans.” Education was not among those 11 issues featured in the Sunday print edition (although it appears here). And the Times is not alone: It wasn’t until the third debate that we heard the candidates touch on educational policy.

Obviously, education is having a tough time competing for attention with the current financial crisis, global security concerns, the health-care crisis, and wardrobe-gate. But as a lifelong...

October 30, 2008, 08:39 AM ET

The Economic Crisis Hits Academe

By Graham Spanier

University presidents have the current economic crisis very much on our minds. Higher education is affected less severely by these difficult economic times than other enterprises in our society. Even so, we are affected more than most may realize.

At a recent meeting with presidential colleagues I summarized the many ways in which the financial downturn impacts higher education. Most of the impacts turn out to be similar from one institution to another irrespective of geography, size, or public/private status. Here is a recap of the top concerns.

• Liquidity: The availability of cash for payroll and other operating expenses due to The Commonfund’s restrictions on access to funds being held by Wachovia bank.

• Student Aid: As families feel the financial crunch, we can expect an increase in requests.

• Lending: Some banks are getting out of the student loan business, and others ...

October 27, 2008, 08:54 AM ET

The Dark Side of School Spirit

By Graham Spanier

School spirit is a wonderful attribute for a university. We certainly have it in abundance at Penn State.

There are few things that make me prouder than seeing 110,000 cheering students and alumni on football Saturdays, proclaiming their love and loyalty for the university, or the thousands who attend basketball games, volleyball matches, homecoming parades, and our dance marathon, the world’s largest student-run philanthropy.

But there can be a dark side. Over the weekend Penn State beat Ohio State in a football game with possible implications for the national championship. I helped stir the crowd of alumni and students at a pep rally in Columbus beforehand, even playing the bass drum with our pep band. It was good, clean fun, as they say. How could a president be prouder of our fans, not to mention the team and coaching staff?

Yet I suspected what was coming. After we...