How will you spend your Thanksgiving break?
Last Friday, students were informed by e-mail that John Sexton will serve as NYU's president until 2016. This will add another seven years to his term.
The WSN Editorial Board applauds the Board of Trustees' decision to extend Sexton's term and for keeping consistent leadership a high priority. Since Sexton took office in 2001, he has worked hard to raise NYU's reputation throughout the global academic community, and we see his long-term goals for the university as big steps forward.
Under Sexton's leadership in the current economic climate, NYU has generally fared better than competing universities. The endowments of Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Stanford, Columbia and the University of California, for example, have all dropped significantly more than NYU's. This certainly isn't solely because of Sexton, but we think his guidance was crucial. His vastly successful fundraising efforts have boosted NYU's financial resources, and his reputation and relationships in academia and the city are invaluable to bringing attention to the university and its goals.
Those very goals are yet another reason to keep Sexton. His personal overseeing of many projects — such as Abu Dhabi, NYU Polytechnic and the Institute for the Study of the Ancient World — is important to their success, and because he initiated some of them, he should see them through to completion.
With that being said, it is important to stress that the university can't spread its resources too thin. NYU doesn't have the same high endowment or capital as similar universities, so Sexton must ensure that resources grow along with his big-picture ideals for NYU.
We also urge Sexton and his faculty to strive for more openness and transparency with regard to administrative dealings and decisions. More visibility into what goes on behind closed doors will increase public trust in NYU's policies, and it would be beneficial to the university's image to be more communicative with the community.
Extending Sexton's term until 2016 is a positive move for the university, and not just for the sake of continuity. It is very easy to criticize Sexton and his administration when we hand over $50,000 per year in fees and tuition, but it is important to view his moves in a larger context: the future of NYU. Regardless of how we feel about the way he runs the administration, we believe Sexton has NYU's best interest in mind.
