“The Liminal Role of the Research University President”

Teresa A. Sullivan U.Va. President and George M. Kaufman

Presidential Professor of Sociology  

The increasing significance of the research university

Declining institutional competitors for R&D

Increased reliance on innovation for new economy

Intense international competition and national security worries

Declining opportunities for occupational inheritance

The climate of anxiety and fear accelerated after 2008

Baby Boomers and sense of personal insecurity

Job security

Pension security

Access to health care

Intergenerational anxiety

“Is college worth it?”

Unemployment rate with HS diploma: 8.3%.

Weekly earnings: $652

Unemployment rate with BA: 4.5%

Weekly earnings: $1,066

SOURCE: bls.gov

Employment and Marriage

Unemployment rate for 20-24 year olds: 13.1%

Median age at first marriage: 29 for men, 27 for women, the highest age by far since 1890

Growing public sense of hardening stratification

Income gap

Mean income of lowest fifth of population declined by $320 from 2007 to 2011 to $11,239. Mean income of top 5% increased by $25K to $311,444

Lowest three quintiles dropped in nominal dollars, while top two quintiles increased

Hardening stratification of universities and of fields within universities

Passion for rankings and metrics

Increased anxiety to find a successful path for one’s children

Genuine changes in labor markets

Substantial productivity improvements in the economy as a whole QI of 2013, output per hour = 111.2

Real compensation per hour = 101.9

Hours of all persons = 98.4

Growth of placeholder positions: post-docs, internships, contingent positions

Steady decline of the traditional entry-level job

The law school example

The students' limited labor market information

The President’s role in this set of issues

Value and values

Curricular stand on the company of educated men and women

Interpret the University as an organization