March 12, 2007
D.C. Eats University Presidents for Lunch
First it was American, then Gallaudet and now Howard -- all in all, university presidents in the District just aren't having a good run.
The Post reported over the weekend that the head of Howard University's faculty senate called for the removal of the university's president, H. Patrick Swygert, accusing him of financial mismanagement. Never one to see the glass as half-empty, Swygert, who has served the prestigious historically black university since 1995, fired back with an optimistic assesment of his situation: "I think [the letter] clearly demonstrates how democratic and how open the university is and how free the faculty is to express opinions."
Whether or not the rumblings of the university's faculty can be seen as a good indicator of healthy democratic discourse, Swygert now faces the very troubles that his counterparts at both American and Gallaudet faced in recent years. At American, President Ben Ladner suffered a campus-wide uprising over some $500,000 in personal expenses he charged to the university; Gallaudet saw students lock down the deaf university in protest of president-designate Jane Fernandes, who they claimed wasn't right for the job. Ladner was fired (though not without a hefty and controversial severance package) and Fernandes had her designation rescinded; both universities are still being led by interim presidents.
Will Swygert be next? Maybe, but not for a while. Contrary to his jobless counterparts, Swygert isn't facing a student-led university lockdown a la Gallaudet or embarassing revelations of a lavish university-funded lifestyle a la American. And though the faculty is grumbling, it seems that some students are cautioning against any rash action. An editorial in Howard's student newspaper, The Hilltop, defended him today, arguing that the university's problems cannot be attributed to just one person:
The complications that are attributed Swygert may not all fall on him. Being that he is the president and thus the figurehead of Howard University, he may be being used as a scapegoat for frustrations.Sorry, Ben and Jane, you're probably on your own for now. But don't lose hope -- another university president could join the club soon.
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I wonder how much of this is just posturing by the faculty for more attention (and money), but as a person who lives near Howard's campus, I wonder what's going on there sometimes.
Walking around the campus you get the feeling that either there isn't enough money to keep the place running, or there's just an indifference to appearances. Buildings aren't adequately maintained, grass goes uncut, buildings are abandoned, security vehicles are dilapidated, etc. These are superficial things, I know, but they seem (to me at least) like signs of deeper problems.
Another puzzling thing is the state of the hospital. Many hospitals in this country have expanded rapidly in the last 20 years, and many teaching hospitals are actually money producers for their respective institutions. Howard's hospital, on the other hand, looks pretty much the same as it did when it opened at its present site (I'm not that old, but I've seen pictures).
Despite this, Howard just spent over 1 million dollars to acquire Walter Washington's house on T Street for use as the president's residence.
Speaking as a faculty member (elsewhere), I'd say that a university president boasting about "how free the faculty is to express opinions"--as if it's notable or uniquely praiseworthy-- is actually quite disturbing.
The right of faculty to freely express their views--including views related to the governance of the university--isn't some incidental courtesy bestowed by a university president. This is supposed to be a value, norm, and right throughout academia.
And faculty don't just have the ability to opine. Faculty ought, and usually do, have substantive governance power within the university. Yes, universities have become more and more "corporate," but even with that trend, we're still a long way from being your typical corporation. University presidents who imagine themselves in the same power and position as corporate CEOs are bound for a rude wake up call.
What part of the campus,specifically, are you referring to JDR? I am an HU student and will agree that some buildings aren't that well taken care of but those buildings are in the minority. Grass goes uncut? Ummm I guess, I am trying to remember the last time that I noticed that grass was unkempt. Maybe for a day or two but I usually notice that it is soon cut after it becomes unsightly. In response to your allegation that the schools vehicles are dilapidated I am not for sure what you are talking about, the Campus security vehicles are 97-98 era Crown Vics there is ONE Van that says Howard University athletics? I think ? that May be from the late 80's but is hardly dilapidated. I don't know maybe you live near a hidden portion of the campus, oh and by the way I totally agree with you on the issue of the hospital, but I am nearly certain the university is trying to sell the hospital to an Health care management company just like GU and GWU. Do you remember GWU's old hospital before it merged with Universal Healthcare? I do and it wasnt a pretty site.
HU:
Please don't think that I'm trying to put down the school. My point was that it looks like there are money and/or management problems.
As for the buildings that are run down, I can think of a few just off the top of my head. One is the Mary Terrell Church house on T Street between 3rd and 4th. This historic building has essentailly been demolished by neglect. Check it out some time, I think its a shame. Another is that weird prison like building located at 900 something Rhode Island Avenue NW, next to the public school building. A third is the building located on the north side of W Street opposite the Dental School. Another is the Carver dorm building on (I think) Second and Elm Streets. Are those broken glass blocks ever going to be fixed? There are others. This is not what I expect from (what I consider) a top filght institution.
As for the vehicles, I'm thinking specifically of that nasty Ford Explorer I see idling by the Gage Eckington School in the evenings. It's at least 10 years old by the looks of it, and it sounds like an army of crickets are tryinbg to escape from its transmission.
Good point about GWU hospital by the way, you're right. On the other hand, why has it taken so long for Howard to make the deal? And I know they had hopes of pulling off a deal to build a new hospital at the DC General site, but they should have been addressing this stuff 10 or 15 years ago, before that deal was even in the works. The hospital could be a money maker for them if they played their cards right. Other university hospitals have pulled it off.
No offense taken, I realize Howard is not perfect and could improve on a lot of things. I will have to take a closer look at the buildings you mentioned. As for the Hospital, that is a complex issue and I am merely a medical student at Howard so I only have limited insight into the politics of the hospital. But to be honest I have no Idea why selling our hospital is taking so long, I am speculating that some of it has to do with the patient population we serve. Georgetown and George Washington University hospitals are located in wealthy areas of the city and have a large insured (paying) patient population, Howard Hospital is not located in an area as wealthy as the aforementioned institutions and probably wouldn't be as attractive to potential purchasers as a hospital in a wealthier area. That being said hospitals that serve a poorer patient populations are sold and made profitable all the time, it just has to be done by people who know what they are doing(Health care management companies). I really think the best bet for Howard Hospital in terms of solving our hospital crisis would be for our hospital to merge into one building with Providence and Greater Southeast hospitals, from there petition the DC government to spend a portion of the money that was going to be used to build National Capital Medical Center (which was going to be our new Primary teaching Facility) to build one 600-700 bed mega hospital on the grounds of the old DC general and then lease it to the company that runs Providence Hospital. Then close down the individual hospitals of Providence,Greater Southeast and Howard. All of these hospitals pretty much care for the same patient population and we could be more effective and provide better quality care if we all came together under the roof of the same hospital. I suppose the business aspects of this type of merger would be extremely complex but it is worth consideration in my opinion. Boston did something similar to this in the mid nineties merging Boston University Medical Center with Boston City hospital to create Boston Medical Center. Hey Who knows, maybe Fenty will Read this and get some ideas.
Both GW and HU own vast amounts of property, but GW's is more valuable (both per square foot and in numbers of square feet), and is mostly built up, whereas HU owns lots of pretty vacant lots. HU could certainly secure and maintain some of those vacant lots (esp up along GA Ave) a bit better.
I recognize that, as vacant and unbuilt property, these vacant lots aren't exactly generating truck loads of cash, and so maintaining them well isn't attractive to HU on a strict cost-benefit analysis, but the lots needn't be attractive nuisances for kids or crime, either.
HU:
I've got to give some credit where it's due. I walked by the Carver dorm last night, and the glass is fixed. It did take a very long time though (like several years).