Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs & Provost
September 9, 2008
Dear faculty, students, and staff,
Last week, the Republican Party held its 39th nominating convention in Minneapolis-Saint Paul. We knew this important event would attract world-wide attention. The convention and our upcoming elections prompt me to share with you some thoughts on this question:
What is the relationship between our democracy and the University? That is, what links our political process and our democratic values with those of a great public research university?
The political philosopher Dennis Thompson contends in his 2002 book Just Elections that three democratic principles form the foundation of our electoral institutions: equal respect, free choice, and popular sovereignty.
Consider these in the context of the values of our University.
Equal respect, in terms of the democratic process, requires that each citizen have equal opportunity to have their vote equally and properly counted. At a great university equal respect, among other things, entails our deep commitment to diversity in all its forms.
In his eloquent dissent in the Abrams case, Justice Holmes of the U.S. Supreme Court wrote of the importance of the marketplace of ideas and stressed that each of us should be vigilant in protecting the expression of ideas, unless there is a clear and present danger that such expression might incite violence.
Our responsibility, as members of the University community, is to create an environment that is indeed willing to learn, to listen to, and to respect others. To quote those memorable words of the great jurist Learned Hand: "The spirit of liberty is to be found in the notion that you might be wrong." I should add that the tone of disagreement (and agreement) is just as important too. Wide-ranging, probing, civil discourse is essential to our progress as a university community, as citizens of this country and the world.
Freedom of choice is a very complex concept. But it is one that is highly valued (within important constraints) both within a democracy and within the University. In a democracy choice entails that there be legitimate options (we are not a one-party state) and these options are generated from among our fellow citizens. Such choice is not unlimited. The U.S. Constitution sets clear eligibility limits to lead our country, such as a minimum age to be U.S. president and that one be a "natural born citizen." In the University such free (but constrained choices) help to define who we are. With the right prerequisites (and abilities) students are free to study the academic program of their choice. In fact, we offer at the University one of the most comprehensive sets of academic programs (nearly 400 degree programs) in the world.
Popular sovereignty is central to our democracy. So, too, does it find an important place here at the University. In fact how we structure who we are and how we train the next generation of leaders helps ensure that we instill and model democratic values that respect the legitimacy of government by, for, and of the people. This is one of the enduring legacies of great universities.
The U.S. Supreme Court, in Grutter v. Bollinger, addressed the issue of whether race may be used as a factor in student admissions in universities. For the first time, a clear majority of the Court held that racial diversity in higher education is a "compelling governmental" interest. Race, now, can be taken into account in the admissions process, even without a demonstrative showing of past discrimination.
Why? Importantly, the Court reasoned that the use of race in this way is a "public good" as it allows people of varied racial and ethnic backgrounds to fully participate in our democratic experiment in what we call our Republic. As a public good, the long-term consequences of having a diverse student body are clear: education creates positive benefits for the whole of society, as well as for the specific individual receiving the education.
Investing in "human capital" is one of the most important values of any society and at our University through our Strategic action process. It also is one of the most effective means of promoting democratic understanding and social justice. In many respects, our constitutional democracy depends on an "inclusive" approach to achieving a well-educated, engaged citizenry. In Grutter, Justice O'Connor wrote:
In order to cultivate a set of leaders with legitimacy in the eyes of the citizenry, it is necessary that the path to leadership be visibly open to talented and qualified individuals of every race and ethnicity. All members of our heterogeneous society must have confidence in the openness and integrity of the educational institutions that provide this training.
Popular sovereignty is imperiled without an engagement— engagement in education and engagement in this great democracy. Without a full engagement in both, civilization can't be advanced.
I hope I have provoked you to reflect in new ways on our great University and its place locally, nationally, and beyond.
My very best wishes for a dynamic and fulfilling academic year.
Sincerely,
Tom Sullivan
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