A Good Way to Start

As President Judith Shapiro’s 14-year tenure comes to an end, Barnard College’s new president has a unique opportunity to shape the course of the college’s history. Debora Spar finds Barnard in a period of strength. It is currently the most selective women’s college in the country, and construction is progressing on the Nexus, which will bring improved resources to campus. No one doubts Spar’s impressive credentials in both teaching and research, and administrators and faculty alike are sure that she will use her experience at the college well in those regards. What remains to be seen is how Spar will prove her leadership abilities and make her mark on the college experience of Barnard students long into the future.

The Presidential Search Committee—composed of faculty, students, administrators, alumnae, and the board of trustees—should be proud of its diligent and speedy work. Whereas several important leadership positions within the University are still being filled by acting administrators, Barnard is fortunate that it will enjoy uninterrupted leadership. Though the search committee did not expect to name a candidate until well into the spring, yesterday’s announcement means that President Shapiro and Spar can work even more closely together to ease the transition in leadership.

Spar’s early selection will also give her ample time to decide how best to approach her new leadership role. Administrators involved in the selection process commented that President Ellen Futter rescued the college during the economic and social challenges of the 1980s and President Shapiro has shaped the college’s identity since 1994. It now falls to Spar to take that sense of identity to new heights.

The challenge is more complex than it might appear. Coming to Barnard with extensive experience at one of the country’s top educational institutions, Spar is well versed in the workings of co-education in America. At Barnard, she will have to address the particular concerns facing a small women’s college in the midst of a large co-educational research university. The complications resulting from Barnard’s place within the University manifest themselves in all areas of student life. Every student at Barnard will look to Spar’s experience in both life and scholarship as an example to which they can aspire. In the coming months, Debora Spar will have to find her identity at Barnard and, in so doing, help Barnard better define its own.