At Duke, a Yale-made president
DURHAM, N.C. — Five years ago today, Richard Brodhead ’68 GRD ’72 was struggling to get back to New Haven as snow blanketed the northeast.
Brodhead, who was at the time in the middle of his 11th year as dean of Yale College, had been on Duke’s campus here in balmy North Carolina to interview one last time for the Duke presidency. As he headed back to New Haven, to what he had called “the greatest job in higher education,” he was coming to terms with the fact that he was finally going to leave the college he had called home since he first entered as a 17-year-old...
Brodhead made a huge mistake leaving Yale. What was he thinking?
Nice article, though.
Yale should be ashamed of its affiliation with Brodhead given his handling of the Duke non-rape case (which was, incidentally, reminiscent of the way Brodhead treated Van de Velde a few years earlier when he was at Yale).
After the lacrosse civil suits, caused in part by brodhead, end and brodhead is embarrassed beyond belief, Duke University will be broke and with no endowment left in its resume. Thanks brodhead so much for loving Duke as you loved Yale. This guy has been one disaster after another since he said yes to taking a job as the leader of Duke. The article mentions that brodhead wanted to learn so he took the job. One does not learn on the job at a great university.
I never forget how lucky we were to have Dick Brodhead at Yale while we did, and how lucky we would be to have him back.
“But first tonight: At Duke University, they consider themselves the cream of the crop — top grades, top scores, rich endowment, top athletics. Duke University squares off with Lady Justice. Tonight, legal smackdown, Duke’s entire lacrosse team under the microscope on the alleged multiple rape of another student.”
hahahah
I remember Dean Broadhead as a warm, engaged and engaging dean who was equally happy chatting with students and leading huge ceremonial functions. I was always delighted when I found out that Dean Broadhead would be giving a speech at an event. He was that type of man who is both kind and brilliant--a rare and wonderful thing to find in anyone, let along someone in a position of that power.
Clearly a nice guy and a sweet dean - unfortunately promoted to a position requiring a different skill set.
In addition to the Duke rape hoax and van de Velde fiascos, does anyone remember the Melville scandal (where urbane lil Dickie trashed the scholarship of Hershel Parker in the NYT?)?
A true jar o' smarm, that one. Fey in morals and mind.
I am quite familiar with the Duke Lacrosse Hoax, since I have a (non-athlete) son at Duke. Your article was mostly on target in my view, except for the mischaracterization of the lacrosse coach's forced resignation. The early and persistent abandonment of the team and the three accused players and the forced resignation of Pressler were PR moves quite reminiscent of the Van de Velde affair.
I had high hopes for Brodhead's leadership at Duke, since he is an excellent, and even inspiring at times, speaker. However, his failures in the Lacrosse Hoax, his ready willingness to abandon his students for the expediency of public relations, were bitterly disappointing. He did not come out in favor of these kids until long after it was painfully obvious to any fair minded person they were innocent of the charges, not until after the North Carolina State Bar brought its charges against the prosecutor forcing his abdication from the case.
Richard Brodhead has been a disappointing leader at Duke. At a time of crisis when Duke needed a strong leader with moral courage, Brodhead quailed before the most extremist members of his Duke faculty and the Durham activist community.
The best that can be said for Brodhead is that he was "only following orders" laid down by the chair of the Duke board of trustees. But that "Nuremburg defense" only reflects the weakness of Brodhead as a university president.
Brodhead may have been an excellent dean at Yale. But the ability to give an eloquent speech has proven to be poor measure of the man's character.
Brodhead should resign his position at Duke, and return to Yale... if they will have him.
It was his "even if they didn't do it, whatever they did was bad enough" that was really killer. TOTALLY revealing his disdain/fear/jealousy of student/athletes... Probably goes back to his own schoolboy days, know what I mean?
As an alum of both institutions, I was extremely disappointed in his handling of the Duke Lacross 'scandal.' What's the deal with the attempt to downplay Brodhead's misguided and early public condemnation of the lacrosse players, before ANY evidence was known (and which was never there)? He completely catered to public opinion and joined in the lynch mob, creating even more of a spectacle.
His weak apology later was not nearly enough to make up for his poorly thought out administrative actions.
Beautiful piece. Good job, YDN.