July 8 — Daniel S. Goldin, former head of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, has been offered the presidency of Boston University after an almost year-long search for a new president, the Board of Trustees announced late today.
Board of Trustees chairman Christopher Barreca said an agreement with Goldin is expected within 30 days.
“Dan Goldin is a visionary,” Barreca said in a press release. “He is a man with a world view who shares our understanding of what higher education can and must do in order to be most effective in its service to students and to society.
“He is a highly effective and proven leader who can work with a wide range of constituencies, both inside and outside a large and complex organization,” Barreca continued. “He has more than demonstrated the ability to accomplish challenging goals, and we are confident that he would be an outstanding president for Boston University.”
Goldin could not be reached for comment tonight.
If Goldin accepts the position, he will be the ninth president in BU’s 132-year history. The new president will inherit a campus undergoing major renovations and experiencing important personnel changes, notably the retirements of Dean of Students W. Norman Johnson and College of Communication dean Brent Baker.
Chancellor John Silber has been fulfilling the duties of the president since the Board of Trustees ousted former President Jon Westling last summer.
Silber said he would become president emeritus if Golden takes the job.
“I would be honored to be succeeded by a great man whose accomplishments in private and public institutions and in service to the nation position him by ability and experience to advance Boston University to unprecedented heights,” Silber said in the release.
Goldin, the Trustees’ nominating committee’s top recommendation, was interviewed this morning by the Board of Trustees, which unanimously decided to offer him the presidency.
Student Union president Carl Woog, who replaced former president Ethan Clay as the only student on the presidential selection committee after taking over the Union presidency in May, today said he believes Goldin would bring some changes to the university for the better.
“I think with the selection of Dan Goldin, the university needs to further our levels of excellence and raise our message to this globe as a strong institution and as an institution of world class,” Woog said. “Our new president will certainly evaluate the successes of the university so far — I can only imagine over the next months and years he will make some impressive decisions.”
Goldin graduated from City College of New York with a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering. If he accepts the position, he will be the second consecutive BU president without a doctorate degree, although he has received 17 honorary doctorates.
Woog said he did not think Goldin’s lack of a doctorate would hurt his ability to perform as BU’s president.
“Certainly Dan Goldin has an incredible depth of experience and knowledge about many fields in the sciences,” Woog said. “It shows that universities across the globe recognize his leadership — his talent.”
Goldin served as vice president and general manager of the TRW Space and Technology Group for 25 years before being named chief of NASA in 1992. His nine-year tenure as administrator of NASA was the longest in the organization’s history. Goldin was assigned to the position by President George H. W. Bush and continued serving under Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush.
Goldin resigned his position at NASA in Nov. 2001, primarily citing a need to be at home with his family. He then took a lobbying job in Washington working with the firm Cassidy and Associates, run by recently added BU Trustee Gerald S. J. Cassidy.
According to NASA’s website, Goldin oversaw more than 150 different space flights, most of which were successful, although his work on the failed Mars Pathfinder project in the late 1990s was a black mark on his career. Goldin also pushed to create the International Space Station, which is still under construction.
Woog said he hopes Goldin will bring some of his successful accomplishments to BU and looks forward to working with the new president.
“I look forward, as president of the student body, to discussing with him in detail the concerns of our students and sharing with him our successes and impressive talents,” Woog said. “I look forward to working with him closely.”
Goldin and his wife, Judy, have two daughters, Ariel and Laura, and two grandchildren.
Staff writer Dan Atkinson contributed to this report.
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