On March 31, 2011, Frederick Lawrence was inaugurated as the eighth president of Brandeis University. He succeeded President Emeritus Jehuda Reinharz, a man who made a large impact on the University, despite the financial issues that the University struggled with, including controversy over the closing of the Rose Art Museum.

At his inauguration, Lawrence announced that "in the coming months, I will work with you to develop a strategic vision with concrete plans to secure Brandeis's place as an elite global liberal arts university."

Lawrence has made significant progress in fulfilling this promise. He has succeeded in initiating a planning process, as well as beginning to secure Brandeis' place as an elite global university, through networking and connection with universities and institutions all over the world. However, one concern remains: whether he will be able to match the impressive fundraising abilities of Reinharz.

Planning a strategy

One of Lawrence's notable contributions to the University in his short time here is his initiation of a strategic planning process, which he announced at the beginning of this academic year. Since his announcement, the Strategic Planning Advisory Committee has been formed, has gathered feedback from students, staff, faculty, alumni and other members of the Brandeis community and has started to evaluate data from that feedback. The committee plans to have a finalized plan by December 2012.

"It seems as if there's a large mobilization behind the strategic planning process," said Senior Vice President for Administration Mark Collins in an interview with the Justice. "[Lawrence] talks about short, mid and long range planning regularly. Each one not in isolation, but thinking about ... what changes we can make now, what we can do now to prepare us for the mid and longer term."

Student Union President Herbie Rosen '12 offered a caveat about the plan, saying that "The students better find something in [the strategic plan] that they like. There better be something that our voices have asked for, and that's his next big step." Rosen continued that if the plan is completed and has a positive effect on students, he would consider it a major success for Lawrence.

Global Brandeis

Another important aspect of Lawrence's time so far at Brandeis has actually taken place far off-campus. He has made an effort to enhance Brandeis' connections with global partners; in the last year, Lawrence has gone on two major trips, one to Israel and one to India.

In the interview, Lawrence explained that Brandeis has an "enormous global reach," and that he hopes to continue that way, but also that he wants to maintain more meaningful connections with a few select countries.

"I think we need to focus our efforts ... on a number of countries where we can have deep and sustained engagements. Israel and India strike me as two very strong candidates for that. There will be others. I think the strategic planning process can talk about that," he said.

Energetic presence

Lawrence has also been an energizing force on campus, according to students, faculty and administrators. "He's very excited about Brandeis. He honors what's been accomplished here, but he talks often about our future and the promise, and he's so excited about it, that I believe it's contagious and somewhat inspiring," said Dean of Student Life Rick Sawyer in an interview with the Justice.

"I think there's a very positive vibe around his presidency," agreed Rosen. "I think he's come in with a lot of energy."

The beginning of Lawrence's presidency also brought a turn-over in the senior administration, with the appointments of Steve Goldstien '78 as provost, Susan Birren as dean of Arts and Sciences and Andrew Flagel as senior vice president for Students and Enrollment.

"I think the new team is fabulous," said Collins, who has been a member of the Brandeis administration since 1987, in various roles. "Full of great ideas, and really have what I will call a 'can-do attitude,' with respect to students, faculty and the community in general."

A fresh start

Some of the more tangible contributions that Lawrence has made in his first year are, somewhat symbolically, renovations and re-openings, notably of the Joseph M. Linsey Pool and the Rose Art Museum.

The closing of the Rose was a major point of contention during the end of Reinharz's presidency, and the settling of the Rose lawsuit was something that Lawrence was "glad to be able to bring to closure," he said in an interview with the Justice.

He also said that the search for a new director of the museum, which was planned to be completed in January, is going well and should be concluded relatively soon.

In another interview, Malcolm Sherman, the chairman of the Brandeis Board of Trustees, praised Lawrence for his interest in these projects. "In both cases, he led the charge to find a way to resolve both of the issues that would not harm the University, but would rather help and enhance the University," said Sherman.

Concerns

Many faculty members also feel that Lawrence's first year has been a positive experience, according to long-time Prof. Jacob Cohen (AMST), who has been teaching at Brandeis since 1961, and has worked with all of Brandeis' past presidents.

"I really sense my colleagues, and I, feel strongly that his warmth has really created a different kind of human relationship with the wider University, which is very much appreciated and very healthy," said Cohen in an interview with the Justice.

However, Cohen brought up several concerns that he has about Lawrence's presidency: following up Reinharz's "legendary" ability to fundraise and Lawrence's potentially lackluster commitment to the humanities, which are an integral aspect of the liberal arts experience.

Cohen's anxiety about fundraising is not without merit. The University raised $62 million during fiscal year 2011, a $10 million dollar decrease from the previous year, according to Director of Development Communications David Nathan. Nathan attributed this decrease to the fact that "final payments on several large capital gifts were received in [fiscal year 2010.]"

Nathan reported that fundraising this year is about on pace with last year, and that alumni giving and donations from friends are both significantly higher than at this time last year. Senior Vice President of Institutional Advancement Nancy Winship wrote in an email from Nathan, "President Lawrence has already established strong relationships with many longstanding Brandeis supporters while bringing new donors into the Brandeis family ... His intellect, warmth, sincerity and love for Brandeis will make him an outstanding fundraiser for the University."

Cohen's other question about Lawrence's presidency regards the academic direction of Brandeis. "In his appointments to the deanship and the provostship [sic], he has appointed two people with a strong science background," he said. "Clearly, the international reputation of the University, which is very great given all kinds of things, is particularly strong in the area of the sciences. But where he stands on the humanities and the arts and how much that will figure in the future of the University is not clear to me yet."

He went on to say that he is not so much worried as curious about the academic future of the University.

Community connections

Lawrence taught a politics seminar last semester called "Punishment and Crime," but beyond his teaching, he feels a deep sense of belonging among the Brandeis faculty. "First and foremost, the president of a university is the member of the faculty. I always call them my faculty colleagues," said Lawrence.

Finally, though global connections, strategic plans, renovations and relations to faculty and alumni are all important, the heart of a university lies with its students, according to Lawrence.

"I think it's one of Fred's keen interests to be constantly connected to the student experience," said Sawyer. "There's an interplay with the students that appears to be quite natural."

Rosen echoed this thought. "As a president, he's upholding his duty to be informed and have communication with the student body. I think he goes over and beyond in talking to different student leaders, for a man of his schedule."

Lawrence himself displayed a touch of sentimentality when describing his relationship with the student body. "You're my kids," he said. "One of the things I love about being here is the opportunity to be as much part of student life as I can. You guys understand that there are a lot of demands on my time and a lot of times that I can't be here. But you also know this is where my heart is."

In describing his plans for the rest of his presidency, Lawrence invoked the University's esteemed namesake.

"This is going to sound terribly corny, but I do ask myself on a regular basis, 'what would Louis Brandeis say?' he said. "I'd like to think this is a school of which he'd be proud, and I'd like to think that he's still giving me advice, it's just that I have to listen pretty hard to hear it."

-Tate Herbert contributed reporting 

Click here for excerpts from an interview with Fred Lawrence.