Read Between the Lines

Ralph Horwitz, the dean of my med school, announced yesterday he would resign on September 15th. In December, he will begin a new role as the chair of the department of medicine at Stanford.

Students were decidedly unhappy, especially the first year students who began only weeks ago. I don't blame them -- Dean Horwitz started some pretty major changes here at Case, especially in the curriculum, and many of them started only recently. It's natural for people to feel uncomfortable when a leader makes big promises...and then departs when they're only partially complete. Change is uncomfortable, and change without a leader is even more uncomfortable.

Case has been hit full of drama in the last few months, including the resignation of university president Edward Hundert following increasing deficits (up to $40 million) in the university budget and a vote of no-confidence by the faculty. Horwitz' departure certainly will not help stabilize things around here, at least in the short term.

But I disagree many of the views expressed by other students regarding Horwitz's departure. In the last 24 hours, I've heard students explain that Horwitz left because:

• He was upset with the condition of the university and/or the resources allocated to the School of Medicine.
• He didn't think the new curriculum would work.
• He was sick of hearing people complain about the new curriculum.
• He was sick of being dean, or he wanted to be chair of a department again.
• He wanted a higher salary.
• etc.

Of these ideas, the only one that I think is even somewhat reasonable is the first one. However, there are two reasons why I don't agree with any of these idea. First, when examined individually, the reasons listed above don't make a lot of sense. Second, in the context of Hundert's departure, the recent resignation of several other deans, and comments from Horwitz yesterday afternoon, I think there is a likely alternative reason why Horwitz would leave.

First, let's look at the reasons offered as for Horwitz's departure.

• He was upset with the condition of the university and/or the resources allocated to the School of Medicine. I would say this is probably true, yet I find it doubtful that this would be enough to make Horwitz leave Case. After all, the major budget issues have been resolved, there is a new university president coming in the next few months, etc. And why would he leave right now, just into the start of the academic year, instead of departing in the summer when he wouldn't have to deal with students?
• He didn't think the new curriculum would work. Since the new curriculum was a core piece of Horwitz's plans for the school, it was in his best interest to ensure that it succeeded. If Hortwitz thought the new curriculum wasn't working, it would make sense for him to stay at Case and work on improving it. University administrators, like executives in other industries, gain prestige by and are rewarded for managing complex organizations, making and meeting institutional goals, and successfully developing new projects. Thus, the idea that Horwitz would leave to protect his professional credentials doesn't make any sense. In contrast, departing before the new curriculum is fully in place only dimishes Horwitz's professional standing.
• He was sick of hearing people complain about the new curriculum. Are you serious? Deans of schools work with dozens of different constituencies, and I suspect that most of them are complaining about something at any given time. The idea that a dean would leave his position because of complaints about the curriculum is just ridiculous.
• He was sick of being dean, or he wanted to be chair of a department again. This, too, is a poor reason. It's not like Horwitz took the position of dean without being aware of what the position would entail, and even if this were his reason, I seriously doubt that he would choose to leave at the very start of an academic year. It's possible that Horwitz wants to be a chair again...but why would he take a "demotion" of that sort? After working in that position at Yale for nearly a decade, it's not as if he doesn't have other, more prestigous academic opportunities.
• He's all in it for the money. He wanted a higher salary. You bet. Horwitz leaves his dean position to take a chairmanship position....for the money? I see.

It's clear that I don't believe most of the other reasons for Horwitz's departure. However, his departure marks the fourth resignation of a dean at Case since Hundert's resignation in March.

• On June 21, just two weeks after Hundert resigned, Arts & Sciences dean Mark Turner announced he would resign on July 1. Time as dean: 29 months.
• On July 12, Dean Robert F. Savinell of the Case School of Engineering announced he would resign at the end of the year.
• On July 21, Myron Roomkin announced he would leave the Weatherhead School of Management on August 1. He spent only 21 months as dean.
• Horwitz's announcement came one month later.

It's not unusual for deans to depart when a university president leaves, and this set of resignations seemed to fit that pattern.

Perhaps the thing which most caught my attention, however, was Horwitz's response to my question during his brief Q&A session with students on Monday. When asked to comment on the fact that three deans had resigned since Hundert's departure, he replied "This set of departures will allow the new president of Case to build his or her own leadership team from the ground up." He then added something along the lines of " Sometimes, it's important for a new leader of a university to be allowed to pick individuals who share common goals."

Now, I didn't expect Horwitz to come out and say that the Board of Trustees asked him to resign, but his answer certainly gives the impression that the trustees are trying to clear out top management of the university in preparation for a new president. (Besides, stating publicly that he was asked to resign would merely undercut confidence in the university even more. I was just surprised that Horwitz didn't use the "I want to spend more time with my family" excuse.)

It makes sense from the Board's perspective for two reasons. First, Case has a better chance of getting a recognized, highly qualified president if that individual will have an opportunity to bring in individuals who they prefer to work with. Similarly, after going through two presidents in five years, the Board wants to make sure that the president they select will remain. Any deans who were seen as combative, ineffective, or difficult to work with would therefore make the Board's task of retaining a president even more diffcult (Turner, Roomkin, and Horwitz had all been described as such). And perhaps most importantly, at least from the Board's perspective, they had all been appointed by Hundert. Out with the old, in with the new.

So, on that note, I will add that this blog has once again achieved its intended purpose. I can whine about whatever issue is bothering me, and the only thing that has to listen is the giant anonymous Internet void. No irritated friends, no lengthy arguments, etc.

On a completely unrelated note, I got new contacts today and had my pupils dilated as part of my eye exam. So now I can't focus on anything closer to my face than at least 2 feet. Reading a book is certainly out of the question. So....now what do I do? Maybe a nap is in order.