New Barnard President Discusses Nexus, Nine Ways of Knowing in Q&A

While students adjusted to internships this summer, new Barnard President Debora Spar settled into a new vocation, city, and lifestyle. FOn July 1, Spar, an expert on the ethics of reproductive medicine and former Harvard Business School professor, formally began her tenure on the west side of Broadway. After emptying a few boxes and installing new shelves in her office, Spar sat down with Spectator to discuss the construction of the Nexus building, the Nine Ways of Knowing, and what makes a teacher great.

Spectator: The Nexus is now under construction. Can you speak a bit about the construction delays which have pushed back the projected opening date by a semester?
Spar: What I know is from my husband, who is an architect who does projects of this sort. These delays are almost inevitable. The building, which will be spectacular, has a curtain wall, which is the glass panel exterior. This is incredibly complicated to install. There are only two firms in the country who can do it, and every building of this sort has delays.

Spectator: In what ways are you compensating for the lost space?
Spar: I think we have to— I am completely determined to make sure we have a student lounge space. I think the faculty is okay dealing with the disruption—it is clearly a huge amount of disruption—but where we’re cramped, I think, is not having more student lounge space, so we’re working on that.

Spectator: This has been lauded as the legacy of Judith Shapiro. So how do you feel about carrying her project through?
Spar: I think it’s going to be a wonderful building. This is an area where I feel that through my marriage I have a lot of knowledge. I’ve lived through lots of building projects. They’re never fun. It’s unfortunate we’re going to get delayed because of the curtain wall, but it’s not completely unexpected. My concern is especially for the seniors this year that they have space that they can call their own and enjoy.

Spectator: At Harvard you were known for your work on family leave policies. How does the issue stand at Barnard, and do you plan on working on it here too?
Spar: It’s something I’m always concerned with. The details of the policy here are not things I’m completely familiar with. We have to make it work. If Barnard can’t make it work for women to balance career and family, I don’t know who can.

Spectator: Many times, when presidents begin at universities, they restructure the top administration. Do you plan on doing so?
Spar: Now there are a significant number of openings in the senior ranks. We’re hiring a new head of development, I’ve hired a new executive assistant, I will be hiring his assistant, there will be a new head of alumnae relations, there have been a number of retirements in career services. So there are a number of slots that have to get filled. So I’m not going to think about any restructuring until I’ve got some bodies in place.

Spectator: What are your thoughts on the Nine Ways of Knowing?
Spar: In the abstract it’s a brilliant idea. It’s the classic idea of the liberal arts education, that there are different ways of perceiving here in the world, and that people who are going to shape the world need to understand all of these perspectives. Like any good idea, within academia, it’s probably good to review it every couple of years. I don’t think there will be fundamental changes. The specifics of which courses go where, that’s something that we want to look at every number of years. When exactly we’ll examine them, I don’t know.

Spectator: What makes a good professor?
Spar: I think it’s somebody who can really engage their students and instill in them a love of learning. The teacher who does my kid’s middle school newspaper isn’t any different from someone teaching astrophysics. They have to be able to get their students engaged, excited, energized, and wanting to work.

Spectator: In that vein, what kind of people are you looking to recruit?
Spar: Oh it’s easy. People who are both great teachers and researchers. I don’t think we want anyone here who is just a teacher who doesn’t do research. I think you really become a better teacher by research. In the same token, I don’t see a big role for people who only do their research and can’t engage students. They won’t survive here. So there’s a platonic ideal here, it’s just finding those folks.

Spectator: Do you plan on changing the protocol for the dual nature of the tenure process which requires Barnard professors to also receive tenure review by Columbia? Some think that the expectations at the different levels are incongruous.
Spar: I don’t even know how the process works yet.

Spectator: Do you have an overall goal for your time at Barnard and do you know how long you want to stay for?
Spar: No.

See http://www.columbiaspectator.com/node/55221 and http://www.columbiaspectator.com/node/55258 for the first two parts of this interview.

joy.resmovits@columbiaspectator.com