José Cabranes: The Present Danger at our Leading Universities: What is to be Don [24:06-27:31]

a troop of science and engineering professors entered alerted to the danger of that moment by Professor Donald Kagan. And although rarely attentive to issues of university governance, these science faculty members could still recognize facts. And when called, they were still willing to rise to the defense of the university. Now, there is no one, of course, quite like Donald Kagan, but perhaps there are some in this next generation who can follow his example. Trustees must also awaken to the threat and recall their considerable legal authority. It is worth remembering, for example, that unlike faculty, the coderies of deputy deans, associate provost, associate vice presidents, and assistant directors lack the protections of tenure. Trustees should therefore demand detailed justification for each and every one of these positions. I note that administrators are especially skilled at making, at masking the accurate figures. So trustees must remain wary of obfuscation. Alumni must also become wiser in their philanthropy. In our flagship institutions, bureaucratic bloat is made possible by immense endowments and endless fundraising campaigns. The coin of phrase, if you hear the word, campaigns, reads for your wallet. For too long, the exchange has been very simple. Donors provide funds, and in return, they receive recognition and celebration. But no influence, much less control. This actually should come to an end. Alumni should decline to provide single lump gifts. Instead, donors should provide annual reports for specific programs, but only as long as criteria are met. Gifts with strings attached, that's the famous phrase. Usually in the form of, please, no strings attached. No, no. Strings attached. A good thing. Gifts with strings attached and gifts renewed periodically are to be encouraged, not denigrated. I was pleased to see in one of your programs, one of the documents with your materials, a quotation from Beno Schmitz, great provost Frank Turner, and Professor Kagan's co-author and friend, which is drawn from a famous, to some of us obscure and this famous op-ed piece in the Wall Street Journal, in which the former provost of Yale, Frank Turner, the John Hay Whitney Professor of the Humanities, actually called for giving gifts with strings attached as a way of assuring that are helping to assure that the donors' expectations were met. Importantly, we must also insist on something else, which is much feared by