Requiem

After a strenuous bike ride in Patagonia last week, I summoned the energy to crank out the first draft of an opinion piece that was published just a couple of days later in the Yale Daily News. The piece raises several questions about the Committee on Trust in Higher Education’s recommendation to amend Yale’s mission statement. Turns out, it is a good thing I didn’t wait to speak on this issue, because as I was waiting to board my return flight to JFK, I learned that the University had already adopted the Committee-recommended mission statement. As a procedural matter, the speed of adoption might be questioned. The President could have allowed a bit more time for community response. After my YDN piece appeared, I received a surprisingly large number of emails and texts from colleagues, students, and alumni thanking me for writing it. This outreach suggests to me that the President’s swift action foreclosed spirited and productive discussion that could otherwise have taken place. It is…