Jeffrey Wiesenfeld is a very wealthy man – a wealth management man. He is politically powerful. He sits at the center of New York City glamor and influence.
Like Donald Trump – a very similar man – he takes these remarkable advantages and bullies other people with them.
Unlike Donald Trump, Jeffrey Wiesenfeld has a position of influence at an American university. He sits on the CUNY board of trustees.
Trump is a free agent, if you will. He can be a braggart and a bully on his own time.
(Actually, Trump has his very own university, which he runs in his very own way. Fine.)
But having taken a position of trust at a legitimate American university, Wiesenfeld was under a serious obligation to be serious about this, to discover for himself the values of universities, as well as the public demeanor expected of someone representing universities.
Wiesenfeld’s blackballing of Tony Kushner for his critical views of Israel continues to receive big national and international attention. Wiesenfeld has not only further damaged his own reputation (he already had a bad one), but he has damaged the reputation of CUNY. The story is hot – it will go on burning through CUNY for some time.
Trustees are not supposed to bring shame to a university. They are supposed to bring money, good will, and – if you’re very lucky – good oversight.
In his latest interview about denying Kushner an honorary CUNY degree, Wiesenfeld responds to a New York Times reporter’s suggestion that more care might have been taken to ascertain Kushner’s views (at least one trustee had never heard of Kushner) with this post’s headline.
Wiesenfeld to New York Times: DROP DEAD.
May 6th, 2011 at 11:42AM
“Wiesenfeld to New York Times: DROP DEAD.”
Heh. It’s already happened. The NYT, once a respectable news source, started going downhill during the Duranty era, and died long ago.
Actually I can see Wiesenfeld’s point. An honorary degree is an honor, it’s something the school has the discretion to give. Giving an honorary degree to someone as overtly political as Kushner could be viewed as an endorsement of his political views.
October 14th, 2011 at 3:30PM
@amy
Wiesenfeld called Palestinians “non-human”! you really still think that Kushner is the “overtly political” one…