Speak Out

By Karen Gross. Ph.D. candidates in the Netherlands are fighting the launch of an experiment that they believe could put their employment status in jeopardy. The Dutch minister for education, culture and science, Jet Bussemaker, has proposed changes under which several thousand Ph.D. candidates would be registered as students rather than as employees, as is now the normI grew up in the era of remarkable college presidents, individuals who were seen as public intellectuals. These leaders -- Derek Bok, Kingman Brewster Jr., A. Bart Giamatti, the Reverend Theodore Hesburgh -- spoke out on issues that extended far beyond their campuses. As they saw it, contributing to the larger public conversation on critical issues of their time was part and parcel of their role both as college/university presidents and in the years thereafter. Voices like this are disappearing, a point made all the more relevant and poignant with the passing of Father Hesburgh last week at age 97. Today’s educational leaders are vacating the bully lectern -- even on issues related to their own campuses. Read more...