The Post-Standard (Syracuse, New York), June 14, 2005, Tuesday

Copyright 2005 Post-Standard
All Rights Reserved.
The Post-Standard (Syracuse, New York)

June 14, 2005 Tuesday
FINAL EDITION

SECTION: NEWS; Pg. A6

HEADLINE: LEHMAN'S DEPARTURE MAY AFFECT FUNDRAISING;
SUDDEN RESIGNATION OF CORNELL PRESIDENT EXPECTED TO HURT UPCOMING CAPITAL CAMPAIGN.

BYLINE: By Rebecca James Staff writer

BODY:
The abrupt departure of Cornell University President Jeffrey Lehman, who resigned Saturday after just two years in office, will likely hurt the school's fundraising campaign and relations with alumni, an expert said Monday.
"It's very sad for a major university to lose a leader after such a short period of time," said Ronald Ehrenberg, director of Cornell's Higher Education Research Institute and a professor at the school. "Places like Cornell need longer-term leaders who can connect to the alumni and inspire the faculty."
Lehman, who is Cornell's first alumni president and first Jewish president, also is serving the shortest term in the university's history. Lehman gave barely more than two weeks notice when he announced his decision at his state-of-the-university speech to alumni at reunion weekend. Former President Hunter Rawlings will step in as an interim and Lehman will remain as a tenured professor in Cornell's Law School.
Faculty and others in the Cornell community expressed shock at the news and are trying to figure out what was behind the decision. Lehman said only that he and the board of trustees differed in their long-term vision for the university and that recent "bumps" underlined that problem.
Was a good leader
"I've talked to three or four folks and we're all in the same boat: We can't figure out what one or two bumps, as he called them, were so significant that they would prompt a resignation," said government professor Ted Lowi.
Cornell's Dean of the Faculty Charles Walcott said Lehman was a good leader and he couldn't explain why he left.
"I simply do not know," Walcott said. "I can simply say that my impression was that this was not something that came from the faculty side of things."
Carl Batt, a professor of food science and director of the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research Partnership, said he took note of Lehman's enthusiasm and confidence that he could set the agenda for a major and complex institution.
"When I first met him I thought he'd either burn out fast or be here for a very long time," Batt said.
While Lehman didn't have experience as a university president, he had been a national figure as the dean of the University of Michigan Law School, which was at the forefront of a U.S. Supreme Court case on affirmative action. He had strong family ties to Cornell and was a successful fundraiser, Ehrenberg said.
"It just seemed like an extremely good appointment," he said.
VP also leaving
Now, as Cornell was preparing to start a capital campaign, its top development officer has taken a job at Yale and its president is leaving.
"It has to set back the campaign they were planning and have a short-term financial cost," Ehrenberg said.
The loss of Vice President Inge Reichenbach to Yale and other personnel changes were mentioned as possible reasons for Lehman's departure in local media stories. Reichenbach, who starts her new job Wednesday, declined to comment.
The Ithaca Journal also reported that there was conjecture over the role played by Lehman's wife, Kathy Okun, who has a staff position as a senior university adviser.
"That's water-cooler chatting," said Tommy Bruce, a Cornell spokesman. "Jeff made his decision based on his evaluation of his own relationship with the board. There's obviously a lot of shock and dismay all over campus, which has led to folks trying to understand the whys and wherefores of his decision."