Silber’s strength is his weakness

For the past week, the opinion pages of the Free Press have been rife with discussion of Chancellor Silber’s competency, his salary and the adequacy of the faculty he has assembled. The Daily Free Press reported last Thursday that Silber — whose position at the University is merely an “advisory” one — earns nearly $1 million a year, and is one of the highest paid college administrators in the country. Of course, as any faithful reader knows, Boston University students categorically hate John Silber.

Why?

As Alexandra Fol pointed out in her Letter to the Editor (“Silber deserves praise, not complaints” Dec. 7), Silber cannot be responsible for every one of BU’s problems. I am certain he didn’t personally breed the drain-flies that plague my dining hall or hand-select each of those tongue-tied TAs. Yet Silber can still be charged with engineering a University which is more concerned with the growth of its endowment than on the growth of its intellectual community. Perhaps feeding one feeds the other. But now that Silber has an endowment and a faculty to brag about, can’t we begin to focus on the brilliance of some of our faculty and students?

Stephanie Flick penned a scathing piece about the inadequacies of her professors (“BU professors not up to par” Dec. 4); her tirade began the recent opinion debate over Silber and the quality of our teachers. Though Flick’s allegations were a bit strong — “I just refuse to pay $34,000 to sit in classes that waste my time,” she wrote — she is absolutely correct to be critical of the University’s value structure.

As Shayna Harris so cleverly elucidated in yet another letter (“The campus is a microcosm” Dec. 7), this college parallels the structure of the outside world. Just as our political representatives are overwhelmed with the dizzying need to raise more money, John Silber has charged himself with the same task. You’ll note that Silber points to the school’s endowment as his biggest accomplishment. Indeed, it’s impressive — according to BU spokesman Kevin Carleton, BU’s endowment grew from $18.8 million to $449.7 million under Silber’s hand.

But the school isn’t rich just because of Silber’s ability to schmooze with rich alumni or skill at garnering government grants. Boston University is rich because it is run like a business. For example, if a student’s loans are not yet processed at the beginning of the semester, that student is not allowed to move into the dorms. This results in scores of students every year being displaced, disadvantaged and embarrassed, simply so that the school can ensure the collection of a few thousand dollars. Carleton even admits that Silber’s ability to make “tough fiscal decisions,” such as instating tuition increases, is what has made him such an effective leader.

BU’s seemingly out-of-whack priorities are also demonstrated in the school’s new effort to increase professor productivity. Flick pointed to a Globe article (Oct. 15) that detailed BU’s new plan to regulate professors’ hours on campus. The spirit of this regulation is completely foul; it emphasizes merely the “bottom line” and not educational values. A teacher’s hours are utterly unrelated to his or her effectiveness as an educator.

At every turn, BU looks to save money, to make money, to raise money. Why are these finances disproportionately channeled to the School of Management? Why do we invest in a new Marsh Plaza and not in new emergency phones for crime-riddled Loretto Hall? Why did we spend $8 million on a new, shiny boathouse when we can’t fit enough students on campus to help the local housing crunch? We do these things because they increase our attractiveness to the outside community. They entice alumni to donate to a winning team.

Businesses exist to make money. Maybe they make dishwashers, and maybe they make shoes, but above all they make money. Boston University makes college graduates. Perhaps we’re little more than a degree factory that turns a profit for the owner, (whose book is quite prominently displayed in the BU bookstore). What we have here is the business firm model of higher education. While I feel our students and professors do an excellent job of maintaining intellectual dialogue, the structure of the University ultimately places priority on financial gain.

Everything in John Silber’s biography points to his dedication to education. He ran for governor of Massachusetts in 1990 on the refreshing premise that education is the basis of all civil success. (This is right.) And of course, John Silber has undoubtedly gathered a first-rate faculty to this campus, complete with Nobel laureates. But Silber’s school has lost sight of his original intentions.

It could be so easy for BU to get back on track. The administration needs to hear the pleas of students who are finally talking. John Silber needs to read and listen to The Daily Free Press: students want a safer Loretto Hall; students want a guest policy that allows the dorm to feel like home; students want comfortable common areas where they can begin to socialize and build a sense of community in this wretchedly isolating city.

Chancellor Silber has already done a great job of attracting a strong faculty. Now he needs to use his “advisory” role to steer the college toward the needs of a new, smarter Boston University. John Silber’s greatest strength — fundraising and financial planning skill — is also his biggest weakness, as long as Boston University focuses too heavily on the financial success he has brought it.