Uc Reponds To Yudof In Time Top-10

Inbox Ourfeature ontherc gepresidents bestcolle elicitedaJloodof mailManyinthe ofCaliftrUniversity were niacommunity outragedthatwe includedcontroversial "fxer"MarkYudoJ whoisgrapplingwith closingU.C.'snearly fi billionbudgetgap. Othershadnominationsfor presidents notonourlist.

O H , NO, YOU DIDN' T PICK

OTH E RD E S E R V IN GN OMIN E E S

'MarkYudof will do hisiob and moveon to his nextvictim-er, assignment.This is nota man to watch or admire if you are an educator or student or parent. This is a man to fear.'

How couldyou omit LawrenceBacoq presidentof Tirfts University-the guy Harvard was saidto want-who fulfilled his promiseto stayand raise Tufts to new heights?Loveyou, Larry! nr.ERLY, MAss. ludyOlson,

Steve Nelson,eol ETA, cALIF.

'He is the target of more opposition from faculty and studentsthan anyother academicleaderin my more than 30 years on the faculty-and not iust becauseof ourfurloughs.' Leilal. Rupp,e,sso c IAr E DEANoF soc IAL sc I ENcEs, U.C._SANTA

BARBARA

'Whenfaced with a no-confidencevotefrom nearly IO,OOOemployees,does a top-lo president dismiss it through a spokespersonas a p.n stunt?' ElizabethD eloughrey,* so crAr E PRoFEsso R, uc LA

'More appropriate,perhaps'would be to place Yudof among the most embattled university administrators.' Ke n Eh r lich , l.lcr u RER, u .c.- RIvER S ID E

'He shouldearna placeon academic probation,not on the dean'slist.'

Where arethe leaderslike feffrey Docking (Adrian College)andKathy Krendl (Otterbein),who-often with less-than-billion-dollarendowmentsprovide cutting-edgeprograms;worldthrough low classfaculty,accessible student-facultyratios;and a supportive community of learning? Allen Myers, enAND RAPIDS, MIcH.

Penn'sleader,Amy Gutmann, is a world-classeducator,seasoned president,greatscholar,leaderin renewableenergyand fixture in the school'sdiverse,urban community. MarshallMitchellpn rra nr r pn ra

Kate Eaneman sAN FRANCISCo

impressive, and no independence quite so I loved the illustration ofthe Chinese eduimportant, as living within your means" the story through cational system as told of 7-year-oldLiu. Although Liu's parents [Nov. z3].Maybe families are discovering the peace of mind of living more frugally. work, he is met each afternoon byhis Bakul Bhatt,sANANroN Io grandparents, who are active participants in his after-school activities. Liu was surrounded by his extended family at his great- You Go, Gordon Gee David Von Drehle picked the right guy to top grandmother's goth birthday party before your ro BestCollegePresidentslist [Nov. z3]. he headed to his Saturday classes.I was As you disclose,Geetook a pay cut to return struck by how enriched he must be-not just by his teachersbut also by his family. to Ohio State University, but not reported is BlaneyCarterBostian,uorortu, N.1. that he earned more than $zzo,oooin bonusesthis year-all of which he gaveback for student scholarships.Geeleadsacademics China's rampant development has proby inspiration. Buckeyesand the nation can duced a legacy ofterrible pollution, and now cheer for an OSU academicteam that China gives its citizens no voice in what impacts the world with innovation. happens to their neighborhoods. Our sysKenLee,coLUMBUs,oHIo tem may be inconvenient, but it allows our society to balance individual rights with What a breath of fresh air is Gordon Gee! the benefits of development. As you noted, As president of an important institution, learn from us. can China that's one thing MINNEAPoLIs he is doing what most educators are not: beW\II Ashenmache4 ing authentic. I especially liked the photo of him on his sofa alongside a smiley-face GotWorries?Be Happy pillow, with fohn Belushi hanging on the Nancy Gibbs'Essay "The Happiness Parawallbehindhim. dox" reminded me of a quote from Calvin RuthMeaders.AUsrIN, rExAs Coolidge: "There is no dignity quite so \ /R|TE To Us

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The Bus Stops HereUsually Re your story on new bus lines [Nov. z3]: The amazing, low-cost fares offered by MegaBus and others come with a trade-off, terrible customer service.As a thrifty college student, I was thrilled when MegaBus started a route from Minneapolis back home to Milwaukee. The bus was regularly late. MegaBus lost me as a customer when it switched my departure time one evening without notifying me, and I waited until r a.m. for a bus that never showed up. When I tried to rectify the situation, I got nowhere. It's not worth the hassle. ElizabethRaim4t'lll. M I LwAU K EE

Saylt in Mandarin "Postcard:Minneapolis," about kids learning Mandarin, brought back memories of high school, when we built bomb shelters to survive a Soviet nuclear attack and gaspedat communist atrocities in China. With the U.S.over its head in debt, knowing Mandarin mightbe a goodidea. What a difference a half-century makes. IohnSiewert,LA vERNE,cALIF.

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