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Week of 5 September 2003· Vol. VII, No. 2
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Goldin impresses BU community with expertise, influence, enthusiasm

Daniel Goldin, his wife, Judy (left), and BU trustee Elaine Kirshenbaum (CAS’71, SED’72, SPH’79) at the annual Parents Convocation on August 31. Photo by Fred Sway

 

Daniel Goldin, his wife, Judy (left), and BU trustee Elaine Kirshenbaum (CAS’71, SED’72, SPH’79) at the annual Parents Convocation on August 31. Photo by Fred Sway

 

By Brian Fitzgerald

Because of his leadership experience, background in science, and numerous contacts, former NASA administrator Daniel Goldin is not merely an appropriate choice, but an ideal pick for the presidency of a large research university on the rise, according to University administrators, professors, and students.

“ I think Dan Goldin’s long-lasting contribution to BU will be his dynamic management, which will propel BU even higher in the top league of educational institutions in this country,” says Ranga Myneni, a CAS associate professor of geography.

Goldin, who will assume office on November 1, spent 25 years at the aerospace company TRW, headed NASA from 1992 to 2001, and at present is a senior fellow at the Neurosciences Institute in San Diego. Myneni worked as a researcher at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in the 1990s, and he agrees with Aviation Week & Space Technology’s assessment that Goldin “delivered on his promise to reshape NASA into a model government agency.”

Goldin is “a very intelligent manager,” says Myneni. “He is a problem solver and is not afraid of pushing through radical changes if needed. Sometimes this doesn’t sit too well with some people, and there has been some tension at NASA because of this. In the end, Dan Goldin did revamp NASA in the mold of a well-run corporation.”

Praise for the new president also comes from across the city at the University’s Medical Campus in the South End. Goldin, an engineer, is “an outstanding leader who has distinguished himself in both the public and private sectors,” says Aram Chobanian, provost of the Medical Campus and dean of the School of Medicine. “His strong background in science and technology will serve the Medical Campus and the University as a whole very well as we continue to build research programs in the life sciences.”

BU President-elect Daniel Goldin chats with Yianis Zouras (ENG’05) after the Matriculation Ceremony for new students on September 1. Photo by Fred Sway

BU President-elect Daniel Goldin chats with Yianis Zouras (ENG’05) after the Matriculation Ceremony for new students on September 1. Photo by Fred Sway

 
 

Biomedical engineering graduate student Simon Su (ENG’04) says that “BU’s relationship with the country’s funding agencies will improve because of Goldin’s relationship with NASA.” Nuno Almeida (ENG’05), a graduate student in electrical engineering, recently came here from Portugal. “As a foreign student,” he says, “I think it’s great to come to a university knowing that the new president was a former head of NASA. I’m an engineering student, so I might be a little biased, but the appointment should add a lot of value to BU, and I expect that engineering and the science-related fields will get a boost here.”

College of Engineering Dean David Campbell feels that there is no question that the benefit to BU from Goldin’s extensive influence will not be limited to engineering, technology, and the sciences, but will extend to the entire University. “However, as we all realize, and President Goldin has emphasized, we will be able to use these contacts successfully only if the programs and projects we propose are truly excellent and competitive with the best in the land,” he says. “So our emphasis must be on building excellence — in our students, faculty, infrastructure, and programs — so that when our proposals are presented, they are compelling.”

Campbell says that similarly, Goldin’s contacts with private foundations and philanthropists will be extremely valuable in gaining access to these important sources of support. “In short, the students, faculty, and staff of Boston University must be prepared to work hard to take advantage of the opportunities that our president’s influential ties will present us.”

And then, of course, there is “the vision thing,” a phrase that was bandied about often in the 1990 presidential campaign — and ever since. In management, as much as in politics, leaders are expected to create a unified purpose and provide direction. Goldin’s long tenure at both TRW and NASA is no mystery, according to Campbell. “He was able to learn the cultures of those institutions and then devise, implement, and maintain his vision for positive changes in the cultures,” he says. “In his communications with faculty and staff at Boston University, he has indicated that he plans to follow a similar course here — first learning both the general culture of universities and the special nature of Boston University, then working to develop a shared vision for making positive changes in our institution, and finally, implementing that vision.”

In stating that he wants to first “listen and consult” with people in the University community before considering any changes, Goldin “is following a pattern that has proven very successful for him in the past,” says Campbell. “I see no reason that it should not succeed here.”

Executive Vice President Joseph Mercurio mentions another one of Goldin’s qualities that immediately got the attention of the presidential search committee: his enthusiasm.

Goldin’s eagerness to excel is “genuine and contagious,” Mercurio says. It is “a characteristic that is difficult to measure, but it is infectious within a large organization and serves only to energize the students, faculty, and staff. It will be a key factor in moving Boston University to greater heights.”

       

5 September 2003
Boston University
Office of University Relations