Author: Lisa Kraege
On Thursday, Jan. 29, the Occidental College Board of Trustees named Dr. Jonathan Veitch Occidental’s 15th President.
Veitch served five years as the Dean of Eugene Lang College of the New School in New York City. A native of Los Angeles, Veitch attended Stanford University for his undergraduate degree in English and American Studies, and Harvard University for his Doctorate.
“[At Stanford], I discovered the power of good teaching and accessibility of faculty,” Veitch said in his address to students on Thursday, Jan. 22.
After completing his undergraduate degree, Veitch traveled around the United States, working jobs unique to the region he was in. Among his various jobs were unloading fish on the Boston docks, working on a tugboat on the Mississippi, and shearing sheep on the plains. “If I had a hope for you as students,” Veitch said of his experiences, “it would be the intellectual and cultural mix [that he gained while traveling.]”
Occidental hosted Veitch and the other final presidential candidate, Scott Bierman, Dean of Carleton College, on Monday, Jan. 26, and Thursday, Jan. 22, respectively.
A Presidential Search Committee, comprised of five trustees, five faculty, two students, one staff member and one senior administrator narrowed the candidate pool from 92 applicants to three. The committee invited these three candidates to present themselves to the campus community. The third finalist withdrew due to personal reasons, according to Chair of the Presidential Search Committee and Vice Chair of the Board of Trustees John Farmer.
Each candidate addressed alumni, faculty, staff and students. For both candidates, the student address had the smallest attendance. The staff address drew about 120 people, Farmer approximated, in comparison to about 25 at the student meetings.
“I think the low turnout of students speaks to the fact that most current students haven’t seen a president do anything at Oxy,” Audrey Grant (sophomore) said.
Veitch’s speeches emphasized his commitment to the liberal arts, specifically in the similarities between Eugene Lang and Occidental. Veitch highlighted the importance of creating a robust curriculum that draws on both Los Angeles and the intellectual diversity on campus.
“A good President must deal with the grindingly slow pace of change with patience, humility and maturity,” Veitch said.The Weekly sat down with Mr. Farmer on Wednesday, Jan. 28 to discuss the search process.
“The Presidential Search Committee was all on the same page as to what we were looking for,” Farmer said. They wanted applicants with strong leadership ability and the capacity to significantly raise funds. “[The new President] must have an appreciation for and understanding of the liberal arts community,” he said.
Fundraising in particular was one of the concerns expressed by students and faculty at Veitch’s campus address. “[It is important to have] a compelling narrative of the school that inspires people to donate.” As the Dean of Eugene Lang, Veitch said that 30-50% of his job was fundraising. He said that when he arrived at Lang, the endowment was $40,000. When he left, it was $2 million.
In addition to these qualities, the Committee was looking for a candidate committed to serving for an extended period of time, in contrast to the last sitting President, Susan Prager, who served a year.
“I feel like the President has been a constantly changing position, and hasn’t really had an impact on my experience,” Roxanne Laufer (sophomore) said. “I thought the second candidate [Veitch] seemed really personable and that he would be a friend to students.”
“To be an effective president, you got to really like students,” Farmer said in regards to both candidates’ history as deans. “Students and faculty are the most important. . . there has to be transparency and communication between faculty, students and administrators.”
Veitch said that the administration and the rest of campus needs to have this transparency. “Really successful institutions are barely contained anarchies,” Veitch said, in reference to the dynamic structure he seeks and believes is necessary in a liberal arts institution.
The Presidential Search Committee presented the results of surveys taken during the candidates’ visit by staff, students and faculty to the Board of Trustees on Thursday, Jan. 29. The Board announced on Friday, Jan. 30 that Veitch had been chosen. “The Board has overall responsibility for the well-being of the educational institution that is Occidental,” Farmer said. Farmer said attempts were made to get students involved in the selection process, but the final decision was that of the Trustees.
Students, faculty and staff all voiced concern about the recent turnover rate of presidents during the various speeches throughout the day. Veitch said if chosen, he intended to commit himself fully.
“I didn’t go into this profession to climb a professional ladder. I’m not even sure that ladder exists,” he said. “I just hope he lives up to his statements,” Grant said in reference to this sentiment.
Veitch will succeed Robert Skotheim on June 30, 2009.
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