Shut Up And Dribble

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Before I attended law school and launched a long and boring legal career, I taught on a university level for seven years. During that period I interacted with thousands of students, hundreds of faculty members, and scores of administrators. I believe that I may have crossed paths or shaken hands with a President of a university once. The President had her job to do and I had mine.

Many category distinctions have blurred with the passage of time, but our dissimilar job descriptions remain sharply etched in my consciousness. My job was to teach.  The Presidents’ jobs were somewhat more complicated, since they were the highest ranking executives of the institution. Strategically, they were in charge of implementing the vision and mission set by the Universities’ charters and Boards of Trustees. They bore ultimate responsibility for academic quality and standards.  And, critically, they were charged with maintaining the financial stability of the institutions, managing endowments, securing grants, and cultivating donors.

You can see why they might not have had much time for me.

Beyond the primary roles enumerated above, a University President is also the public face of the institution, advocating for it and representing it vis-a-vis the government and the public, facing outward, and the students, faculty, alumni, and staff, facing inward. Presidents are responsible for setting an inclusive tone in the university community, fostering an environment in which open discourse thrives and various constituencies feel welcome to participate and engage so that learning and research can thrive.

They are not politicians. They should not be politicians. No one elected or appointed them to represent specific political points of view. They may have strong personal political views and may belong to political parties, but if they want to engage in politics, they should resign and run for office. As university presidents, their obligations are to the institution.

As Laura Ingraham famously said to LeBron James, when he offered his political opinions: “Shut up and dribble.”

Israel takes justifiable pride in its research universities. Their accomplishments are truly amazing and their well-deserved academic renown is a tribute to the priorities and talents of the Israeli people, to the supporters of higher education, and to the Presidents who helped to build and maintain these flourishing institutions.

There is a movement afoot to fire the Attorney General. I believe that it would be counterproductive and divisive to do so. Eight presidents of research universities in Israel agree with me. But, equally counterproductively and divisively, they have threatened to strike if the Attorney General is fired. As I understand it, it would not be unlawful to fire her, if done properly and in accordance with law. It would simply be an action with which they disagree. If the termination is unlawful, she will have recourse to the courts, which may be assumed to be sympathetic.

They are as free to express their opinions as I am. They are free to lead and attend and address rallies. They are free, as individuals, to pay for ads in the media. They are free to run for office and effect change.

But if they shut down the universities they should be summarily fired.

These are people who have earned their positions and are entitled to a large measure of esteem. Every single one of them is accomplished and respected. Their opinions, expressed properly, would undoubtedly be persuasive and resonate with the public. I, for one, would love to see the full page ad expressing their views, if paid for with their own funds.

The president of a university is responsible for the academic and financial viability and success of the institution. Throwing tantrums and abusing power is a betrayal of that responsibility. Shutting down the university is a betrayal of their offices.

And it doesn’t matter in the least what political side they are on, or whether their views are left or right, or whether the majority of the faculty or student bodies agree with or oppose them. If they shut down the universities because they disagree, as a matter of politics, with a lawful act of the government or legislature, they should be fired.

And if they simply call for faculty and students to stay away from classes, they are even more irresponsible than the members of Knesset seeking to dismiss the Attorney General.