A Mormon friend and neighbor asked me to comment on why some faculty have concerns about the search and about Michael Young.
Here is my response:
Dear Neighbor
My comments in the PI were not particularly about Young but about the search process.
I shared the AAUP’s concerns, but my focus was more on the quality of the search. I worried that the Regents would not find a President committed to excellence.
I am very happy that the Regents found a scholar. This is the first time since Gerberding that we will have a President with such impressive academic prestige.
At the same time I do have some thoughts and concerns:
1. Young is a lawyer with impressive credentials in academic law. He also promoted entrepreneurial growth at the University of Utah. These are good things. On the other hand,during Young’s regime at Utah, the Utah legislature cut funding for the humanities. I will be very interested in heating abut Young’s commitment to the humanities.
A great university needs to be a great cultural institution.
2. I am also a bit concerned about Young’s new salary.
His current UU salary is too high but that is a wide spread problem in people doing Young’s job. As UW President, Dr. Young could make a great start by NOT taking the sort of salary Emmert earned or even by taking a cut.
3. Given the far right, corporatist nature of today’s GOP, I am intrigued by Young’s ties to the Republican Party.
Given Young’s previous record I hope that is not an issue. Seattle is not Salt Lake City and a rational Republican here might actually do a lot of good!
4. Aside from any religious issue, some faculty may have concerns about the Mormon community in SLC support for of Robert Mendenhall and his Western Governors University.WGU is a real threat to our state’s overall commitment to a high quality higher ed. system.
5. Finally, I doubt that Young’s religion this will ever be an issue for the faculty.In a community with Christians, Atheists, Buddhists, Communists, Jews, Roman Catholics, and at least a few devotees of the Greek gods, Mormons really do not stand out.
If anything, President Young’s stance on American religious diversity would be very, very welcome here and might help break down the perception by the right that “we” are antagonistic to religion.