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About the Author
Stephen Joel Trachtenberg served for 30 years as a university president. He is now president emeritus and university professor at the George Washington University, where he teaches courses on the university presidency in America. He is also an adviser to Korn/Ferry International, where he is helping to find the next generation of university leadership. In June 2008 Simon and Schuster will release his new book Big Man on Campus: A University President Speaks Out On Higher Education. B.A. Columbia, M.P.A. Harvard, J.D. Yale. Fifteen honorary degrees. A swell guy. But not much of a dancer.He will blog about issues torn from the headlines dealing with higher education. Contemporary topics of pressing, current concern. And some serious matters too.
About Brainstorm
Mark Bauerlein
Marc Bousquet
Laurie Fendrich
Dan Greenberg
John L. Jackson Jr.
Stan Katz
Michael Nelson, guest blogger
Stephen Joel Trachtenberg
Brainstorm Alumni
Marty Nemko, guest bloggerBob Zemsky
Recent Posts
Opportunity | Comment
Under Pressure | Comment [2]
Campus Polling Centers | Comment
Working by Degrees | Comment [13]
L'Shana Tova | Comment [2]
Featured Articles By the Author
Presidential Spouses
Every four years, Americans vote for a president. And every four years while on the campaign trail the media run short of stories about the candidates and fill in with tales about their spouses. This year has been no exception and spouses have filled the column inches and airwaves portrayed as the strength behind the scenes, best friend and confident, loose canon, assertive, retiring, and overcoming adversity — health, wealth and/or not enough happiness.
Presidential spouses have coped with the issues of office since Martha & George’s time. For decades, it was nearly impossible to improve upon the story of Dolley Madison’s daring rescue of the large Gilbert Stuart portrait of the first president from the British army’s torching of the White House. A lady who puts art before self — now that is my kind of gal!
Soon we learned that Mrs. Lincoln was depressed and Mrs. Wilson ran the country while her husband ailed — and many in Washington will tell you that it was Edith Wilson who brought segregation to D.C. by introducing changes in Federal employment policy that were restrictive, hurtful, and harmful. Eleanor Roosevelt gave strength and stature to the position of presidential spouse — perhaps because of her need to compensate for failures in the personal relationship with her husband — but for whatever inspiration, generations of women (and men) saw a strong public woman go where presidential spouses had never gone before (into the coal mines). Bess Truman preferred Missouri to the banks of the Potomac. Jackie Kennedy changed the vision of the first lady from first crusader for those in need to one who could uplift the nation through quiet elegance and passion for the arts and letters. And of course, Hillary as policy wonk was a source of commentary through much of her eight years in the White House.
This current presidential campaign is no different. Michelle Obama and Cindy McCain are fodder for news junkies: hair-dos and hand motions — pundits claim they have too much money or too much education. Not to mention the issues that went with Bill Clinton as possible presidential spouse — an entire blog unto itself; and even now still alive. “Why,” they ask, “is he taking a low profile? Is he less committed than is she to Obama?”
Take a step out of the national spotlight and join me at the level of campus life where we discover presidential spouses are under similar scrutiny. “Why didn’t she smile at the alumni reception?” “I hear when they move to campus her husband will keep his job in the old city?” “What should we call her?” “Do you get two for one, and if so, who gets paid?” “Does she do it alone, or does she have staff?”
My own spouse had a few “rules of the game” during our years in the profession: Don’t make friends with those without tenure — lest their review process appear compromised; never use the royal “we” in conversation about university policy – as in “we believe the law school’s faculty will soon improve;” make no promises about admissions — even if the candidate is your sister’s maid of honor’s best friend’s child; do not order room service or a pay-for-view movie on a university sponsored trip; being a member of the kitchen cabinet is fine as long as the cabinet doesn’t meet in your kitchen. Watch out for people who try to reach the president through pillow talk.
Today, university presidential spouses are free to structure the position as best suits the couple and the institution: to play an active role on campus or not, depending on his/her professional and personal stage of life. For too many years, administrators’ spouses were viewed not unlike the wives of clergy — seen most favorably when organizing church suppers and book sales, arranging flowers, and rolling bandages.
The rise of the women’s movement changed that. It was reinforced by Derek Bok’s first presidency at Harvard. When Bok was appointed, his wife, Sissela Bok, was a member of the Harvard faculty. Her own professional obligations often took precedence over campus social events. It came to pass that no one asked where’s the “hostess” when she was MIA on a receiving line. And, as with so many things in academia, Harvard is the trendsetter. If it could work for the Bok administration, people reasoned, perhaps it could work for others. Today presidential spouses are free at last on almost but not all campuses.
But regardless of what the president’s spouse does — in the national political arena or on campus, whether she/he carries on their own work or not, entertains or not, travels for the university or not, voices an opinion or not, the question rattling around in my mind is, “Should we care?”
Posted at 01:37:25 PM on July 5, 2008 | All postings by Stephen Joel TrachtenbergComments
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The president’s wife at Lamar University is a real estate agent. Her role as presidential spouse is to take the spouses of the candidates for top admin posts house shopping. Is that so wrong, to make a little money?
— Rodolfo · Jul 5, 02:10 PM · #