We need a doer, not just a listener

Dear Dr. Brehm, \nAfter almost two years of writing about Election 2000, I was a bit shocked by something you told the Office of Communications and Marketing. The press release announcing your arrival stated, "Brehm said she plans to spend much of her first months on the job listening to faculty, students, staff and city officials."\nAll well and good, Dr. Brehm. But...\nLearn a Lesson From Hillary 2000\nWhen Sen. Hillary Clinton kicked off her campaign for a New York Senate seat, she announced a listening tour. What ensued was the first lady/candidate/New Yorker's non-stop, multi-city effort to learn about her new home state. Each event would begin with a few short words from Hillary herself, followed by a long spell of constituent testifying. Clinton would listen. We could tell that she was listening because of her sympathetic nods and her evident bouts of compassion.\nWhether the tour was a well intentioned learning experience for the candidate or a sly maneuver meant to shield her from the rigors of a real campaign, it sure didn't play well with the media and the voters. When the first lady wasn't making big political mistakes, she was being impaled in the press for her "non-campaign," her "tour de farce" or, as it was called in the New York Observer, "Sound, Fury, Shtick -- but Signifying What?"\nIn that July 1999 article, columnist Tish Durkin said "being seen to be listening is an act with all the naturalness of Styrofoam -- and, by Day 3, the approximate spontaneity of in vitro fertilization."\nThe listening tour was frustrating for the press and the public because Clinton wasn't saying anything. New Yorkers didn't want to send a listener to the Senate. They wanted to vote for a leader. Fortunately for the state and the state of Hillary's campaign, she found her voice and learned that dialogue necessitates speaking and listening.\nSo when you come to campus this summer, Dr. Brehm, go ahead and listen. We certainly have a lot to tell you, and it will be a relief to get it off our backs. But the longer you confine yourself to listening, the more likely you are to fade into the bureaucratic woodwork of University administration.\nThat's the last thing we need.\nThis campus has a history of very public leadership. Former Presidents William Lowe Bryan and Herman B Wells were familiar sights on campus. Wells was a fixture at the symphony, the theater and the stadium. His presidency was distinguished by his gregarious personality, his ubiquitous presence and his fearless willingness to lead a public dialogue about the purpose of the University.\nSince the role of president has been overwhelmed by demands from the satellite campuses and the athletics division, it has fallen to the Bloomington chancellor to lead this campus. Departing Chancellor Kenneth Gros Louis was hailed in a recent editorial for his camaraderie and involvement with students.\nSo you see, Dr. Brehm, we're used to leaders who do more than listen.\nSince Gros Louis announced his retirement, we have missed the vital presence of someone willing to speak out in the best interest of this campus. We have missed a consensus builder whose common-sense voice can cut through the cross-campus feud for resources, students and money. We have missed having a leader.\nOf course, leadership is not politically cautious. It would be much safer for you to sit back, listen and wait for us to forget about the Office of the Chancellor. After all, the University is a dangerous place, with ambitious cut-throats waiting for you to make a mistake. The business of higher education is a battlefield.\nNo, it might not be politically cautious for you speak out for excellence, to engage in dialogue with students, staff and faculty and to be the kind of strong-willed public leader upon which this University thrives.\nBut we haven't asked you here to practice political caution, Dr. Brehm. Instead, practice bold leadership and active involvement in the campus.\nYou can only listen for so long.