Offer Made In Search For Dean of Journalism

Nicholas Lemann, a Washington correspondent for The New Yorker has been offered a position as dean of Columbia's Journalism School and is considering the offer, the New York Daily News reported on Tuesday.

The Daily News article cited "university sources" as saying that University President Lee Bollinger has offered Lemann the position and is awaiting his answer. University spokeswoman Caroline Ladhani would neither confirm nor deny the report yesterday, saying only that "we won't comment until there is an appointment."

Provost-designate Alan Brinkley also would not confirm the offer, but called Lemann "an old and close friend" and said he would be pleased if Lemann accepted the position. In his best-selling 1991 book The Promised Land, Lemann thanked Brinkley for his help in reading the manuscript.

Professors at the Journalism School said they had not been notified of the offer but were not surprised by the choice.

Lemann has been an active member of Bollinger's Journalism School Task Force, which has been discussing the future of the school since last fall, and he has been asked by Bollinger to write a "scenario" for a two-year journalism degree program.

Reached last night for comment, Lemann refused to say whether he had been offered the position, but he said he had "really liked being on the Task Force," and said he admired Bollinger and his work with the Journalism School.
If the offer has indeed been made, it is not at all clear that Lemann will accept it. An accomplished journalist, who has also written for the Atlantic Monthly, the Washington Monthly, and the Washington Post, Lemann may be reluctant to leave his career as a correspondent at a time when he is at the top of his profession.
"He's in a very good position and he's young," CBS Professor of International Journalism James Carey said. "You'd think if he was going to do something like this he'd do it later in his career."

According to the Daily News, Lemann, who recently signed a new contract with The New Yorker, is looking into the school's budget, among other issues, and has not yet made his decision.

"I'm very happy at The New Yorker," Lemann said.

When asked whether he would ever consider leaving the magazine, Lemann replied "who knows?"

Journalism School faculty generally seem to support the alleged offer to Lemann, although several professors noted that they had hardly been consulted.

"Bollinger has conducted this search pretty much by himself," Carey said, adding that even members of the search committee had played little role in the decision.

Lemann, if he accepts the position, will replace Tom Goldstein, who stepped down as dean at the end of last year. The post has been vacant since then, with Professor David Klatell serving as interim dean.

The position was originally meant to be filled last summer, but Bollinger called off the search, saying that he was not satisfied with the group of finalists and that he wanted to reexamine the mission of the school. Sources familiar with the situation said Bollinger had in fact offered the position to two of the finalists, both of whom turned down the job, before calling off the search.