'...Yet many academics agree 2005-06 seemed exceptionally discordant. They also agree it's getting harder to be a successful president.

Many leaders are overwhelmed by the unrelenting fundraising demands (22 colleges are in the midst of official campaigns to raise at least $1 billion), tripped up by big-time sports programs, or bowled over by parents and students who pay more than ever and no longer hesitate to complain about the slightest imperfections.

Many also agree on another factor behind the campus turmoil: the new, CEO-style leaders that many colleges hire, and who arrive with major agendas for reform. When people like Summers push - and faculties push back - the friction can be intense.

"As the academy becomes ever more corporatized, as presidents are less academic leaders and colleagues and more CEOs, then faculty who retain the proud identity of an academic are going to be estranged," said Roger Bowen, president of the American Association of University Professors.


[The piece ends with a nice statement from GW's president.]

…"I have had 20 of the most privileged professional years that anybody could want," [Stephen Trachtenberg, outgoing president of George Washington University] said. "If I hadn't been able to do this, I would have had to be a lawyer." '