Handicapping the Gallaudet University Presidential Race

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I was kind of hoping that Bob Davila could remain president of Gallaudet University forever, but news came out yesterday that four people have been selected as finalists to replace him.

They are:

– Alan Hurwitz, president of the National Technical Institute for the Deaf at Rochester Institute of Technology.
– Roslyn Rosen, director of the National Center on Deafness at the California State University at Northridge.
– Ronald Stern, superintendent/CEO of the New Mexico School for the Deaf in Santa Fe.
– Stephen Weiner, provost at Gallaudet University.

It’s interesting that the deaf community has three main colleges — Gallaudet, NTID and CSUN — and the leaders of two of them, Hurwitz and Rosen, want to quit and run the third.

The other two contenders, Stern and Weiner, are retreads from the last time Gallaudet went through this process.  (Remember Jane Fernandes?)  I suspect they are handicapped by the tendency to think, “You again?”  Unfortunately for them, Stern and Weiner are reminders of a period that a lot of people would like to forget.

My guess is that it will come down to Hurwitz and Rosen, since in baseball terms they have both been playing on the AAA level whereas Stern and Weiner are still playing double-A ball.

My money would be on Rosen as she seems the more personable of the candidates.  I think when she goes up to Congress to plead Gallaudet’s case, she would make a good impression on the lawmakers, whereas I feel the other finalists would shrink into the woodwork.

Part of it is sexism — a woman can wear a bright outfit with eye-catching accessories and stay in the minds of lawmakers, whereas men have to wear dull suits and they all look alike.  (NTID’s first and long-time director, Dr. William Castle, who retired in 1995, was known for his loud and garish outfits, which he admitted was a way of getting attention when he went to Congress. But he was one of a kind.)

If Rosen gets the job, it would be bad for CSUN and bad for NTID — bad for CSUN because they would have to replace her just a few years after she started, and bad for NTID because they would miss out on the chance to have fresh leadership.

If Hurwitz gets the job, it would be good for CSUN and good for NTID.  CSUN would retain its new leader and NTID would have the chance to take a new direction.  And I would say, it’s about time.

With all due respect to Hurwitz, he is not an exciting guy.  He is steady and dependable and you can always count on him and he will never surprise you.  Maybe that is what Gallaudet wants.  Or maybe they would prefer someone to wake the place up.

Here is a sample of Hurwitz Speak, from an NTID news release:

“It is an honor to be included for consideration to lead such a prestigious institute that has played such a significant role in the lives of thousands of deaf students for more than 140 years.  My 40-years at NTID have given me a unique perspective about what it takes to manage a university. I have seen first-hand the changing nature of our students and their needs. And I see the challenges we face. It is my belief that the next president of Gallaudet University, whoever he or she is, will strive to make the university the best it can be to provide its students a superior liberal arts education in an environment that fosters not only education, but effective communication and avenues to address issues on campus as they arise.”

Hey, wake up!  Back to the blog now!

When Hurwitz got the NTID job in 2003 after Bob Davila “retired,” I recall feeling let down, like the feeling in 1988 when the first George Bush replaced Ronald Reagan.  Hurwitz had always been there, he was on track, so people figured yeah, he’ll do until someone better comes along.

It seems NTID is always blathering about Japan and something called PEN-International but I can’t think of many exciting new developments at NTID under Hurwitz’s leadership.  He has always struck me as a caretaker leader, a capable bureaucrat who gets the job done and keeps the seat warm until NTID can find someone with more pizzazz.

Dr. Castle had pizzazz by the bucketful.  So did Dr. Davila, who also had the ability to make everyone around him comfortable.

Davila had vision and imagination, too.  I remember chatting with him around 1997 and he pointed to the empty courtyard inside NTID’s main building and said he wanted to put an art center there, and boom, he did.  And after he left NTID, he got a job at CSD in South Dakota and boom, it was announced that CSD would be funding a new building at NTID.  Davila makes things happen.

Alan Hurwitz keeps his in-box clean but never makes you go “Wow.”

He has also been at NTID since 1969.  I know there are some who value such longevity, but to me it is kind of sad.  We only get one life to live — who wants to do the same thing for 40 years?  It strikes me as clinging to what is safe and being afraid to take any chances.  In the long run you miss out on a lifetime of new and exciting opportunities.

I hope for Alan’s sake that he gets the job.  After 40 years, the poor guy could really use a break from driving every day to a cluster of imposing brick buildings surrounded by vacant land in a suburb of Rochester, walking the same halls and doing the same thing over and over again.

Best of luck, Al!  Enjoy DC, Roz!

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