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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 |
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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.”
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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 |
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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