No More Grouchos

In the 1932 film Horse Feathers, the Board of Trustees at Huxley College appoints Quincy Adams Wagstaff, played by Groucho Marx, as its president and begins to offer him some advice on governance -- which he famously rebuffs in song:

I don’t know what they have to say
It makes no difference anyway
Whatever it is, I’m against it
No matter what it is or who commenced it
I’m against it

Today, 87 years later, in an era of unprecedented financial strain and public disapprobation for colleges and universities, Groucho’s contemporary counterparts, the presidents, often tend to be “for it” -- for whatever innovation is proposed to garner students, strengthen finances and demonstrate public value. More...