President Bennet’s announcement that he will step down after the 2006-2007 school year has inevitably brought to mind everything he has accomplished here since 1995, for better and for worse. As the nationwide search for his replacement is set to begin, we ask those in charge of selecting a new president to learn from Bennet’s time as president and, most importantly, actually listen to and value student input.
In his years here, Bennet has proved to be an incredibly successful fundraiser. Alumni donations have increased exponentially and, under his leadership, the University has undertaken a massive strategic plan. For the most part, things are going as planned. The new Usdan University Center, set to open in Fall 2007, is taking shape. New buildings and renovations have renewed the campus. Aside from the aesthetically and functionally questionable Zelnick Pavilion, these changes are welcome and much needed.
While there is still work to do to improve town-gown relations, Bennet and his staff have worked hard to improve Middletown-Wesleyan relations, and he has been involved with various projects on Green Street and elsewhere. The perception of Wesleyan from outside the bubble has improved, but internally, more can and should be done to ensure that student voices play a role in big decisions, next year and in the years that follow.
In that vein, a shortcoming of Bennet and his administration has been an unsettling tendency to ignore student opinion on important topics, such as chalking and gender neutral housing. The measures taken against fraternities on campus have been unnerving for current members, as well as angered alumni. Bennet and the administration need to be in consistent dialogue with the student body, through the WSA and other means. More frequent and regular meetings at which students can directly voice their concerns to the administration are a good idea as well.
A university president needs to stay in constant contact with the students, which has not always been the case as of late. Administrative decisions often lack transparency, and are instead unnecessarily secretive. And when decisions are handed down, administrators shy away from explaining their thinking, apart from saying,“it’s been decided.” We would like to see this change.
Nonetheless, we appreciate the great things Doug and Midge Bennet have done for this university. They are clearly dedicated to Wesleyan (and each other). We wish them the best whether they are here at Wesleyan, out sailing, or traveling the world visiting their grandchildren.
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