As president of a major U.S. university during a period of deep recession, Dr. France Cordova has an opportunity very few of us will ever have to profoundly impact our nation's future. As is the nature of crises, the economic situation amplifies the importance of every decision Dr. Cordova makes. I frankly would not want the responsibility of being in Dr. Cordova's shoes right now, and having to make decisions of such gravity, though there is little doubt in my mind regarding what I would do if I were.
If I were Dr. France Cordova, I would take a hard look at non-essential spending and how that spending is perceived by the community Purdue University is a part of. I would consider the fact that the school corporation of the surrounding county just laid off 150 teachers and deeply cut its arts and electives programs. I would recognize that Purdue's $110 million chunk of the most recent federal stimulus was almost 6 times the portion of that stimulus given to that particular school corporation. And I would ask myself whether or not this was really the right time to budget 10s of millions of dollars to the construction of luxury dormitories and massive arena expansions. The current economic situation has forced many Americans to take a hard look at their personal finances and make tough decisions on what is and isn't essential. If I were Dr. France Cordova, I would take this opportunity to have Purdue University do the same.
If I were Dr. France Cordova, I would take a hard look at tuition hikes. In the past decade, much of which was recession, tuition has doubled. When I was an undergraduate student in the early 90s, it was entirely possible for a hard working person or young family to work to pay its way through college unassisted. I know this first hand because my wife and I did it. When tuition doubles over a time period that wages stay completely stagnant, that becomes less and less feasible. If this trend continues and the economy doesn't see a drastic and immediate recovery, it may soon be impossible for someone who isn't chosen for a scholarship and doesn't have a wealthy enough family to get a college education. This would be devastating to the technological health of our nation. While Purdue's tuition hikes over the past 10 years have been in line with those of other major U.S. universities, the trend is not sustainable and discriminates against those who are hard-working, disciplined, and determined enough to pay for their own education. If I were Dr. France Cordova, I would take a stand and encourage my peers at other major universities to do the same, to ensure that a college education remains something that anyone who is willing to work hard enough to earn is able to, rather than something that is only attainable by those selected by scholarship committees.
If I were Dr. France Cordova, I would take a hard look at essential spending, and make sure that in the necessary effort to stretch funding dollars farther, cuts weren't made that would jeopardize Purdue University's chances to remain a world renowned university. I would recognize that it is Purdue's professors and their research which keeps several of Purdue's schools and programs near the top of the rankings. I would work diligently to find ways to cut costs without impacting faculty job satisfaction or morale or stifling research. If I were Dr. France Cordova, I would make sure the muscle wasn't nicked while trimming the fat.
Dr. Cordova's position as president of Purdue University is similar to that of an NFL quarterback, in that it's easy for anyone to second guess her decisions despite the fact that very few people in the world are capable of doing her job well. At the risk of being a Monday morning quarterback, these would be my priorities if I were in Dr. Cordova's shoes.
--Jvaught 23:53, 20 July 2010 (UTC)
