Just a note...Carol Quillen resigned yesterday as President of Davidson College with her resignation to be effective as of the end of the 2021-2022 academic year. She has been President at Davidson for ten years and led Davidson from the Southern Conference to the A-10, which resulted in a great increase in the endowment and, I think, in the size of the student body.

Before she became President at Davidson, she was Vice President and Professor of History at Rice and was very, very well liked on campus. I assume she would see the soon-to-be available presidency at Rice as a great next step in her career...

Interesting timing.

(08-06-2021 10:10 AM)Houston Owl 2 Wrote:  Just a note...Carol Quillen resigned yesterday as President of Davidson College with her resignation to be effective as of the end of the 2021-2022 academic year. She has been President at Davidson for ten years and led Davidson from the Southern Conference to the A-10, which resulted in a great increase in the endowment and, I think, in the size of the student body.

Before she became President at Davidson, she was Vice President and Professor of History at Rice and was very, very well liked on campus. I assume she would see the soon-to-be available presidency at Rice as a great next step in her career...

Interesting timing.

Very interesting - timing lines up well.

I think it was here that someone mentioned Reggie DesRoches may be another logical choice. He's done a great job as far as I can tell in the administrative roles he has held at Rice. Plus, his daughter plays on the soccer team...

FWIW found this, which gives a biot more of her background when Davidson hired her in 2011:

Davidson College Trustees Elect Carol Quillen 18th President of Davidson College

As a professor of history, wonder how much she would care about the once-great history of Rice football and be motivated to do something significant about returning it?

I think she would be a very interesting candidate. We could certainly do worse, and based upon what I know I would support her.

But one thing about it that I can't help noticing. I was an undergraduate during the Masterson fiasco. He would have been the first non-SE president. One point of opposition (of many) raised to his hiring was that, as a non-scientist, would he have been able to play the politics needed to keep getting the big money scientific research grants. I wonder how bringing a history person in now would signify a shift in university orientation.

(08-06-2021 01:09 PM)Owl 69/70/75 Wrote:  I think she would be a very interesting candidate. We could certainly do worse, and based upon what I know I would support her.

But one thing about it that I can't help noticing. I was an undergraduate during the Masterson fiasco. He would have been the first non-SE president. One point of opposition (of many) raised to his hiring was that, as a non-scientist, would he have been able to play the politics needed to keep getting the big money scientific research grants. I wonder how bringing a history person in now would signify a shift in university orientation.

We have already had a religion scholar and a lawyer, neither of which is SE.

And the issue as I understood it at the time was that Masterson was a first rate A hole

I brought her up in the thread discussing Leebron’s retirement and some seemed to suggest she wouldn’t be a candidate because Rice wouldn’t hire from a non-research university.

(08-06-2021 11:24 AM)GoodOwl Wrote:  FWIW found this, which gives a biot more of her background when Davidson hired her in 2011:

Davidson College Trustees Elect Carol Quillen 18th President of Davidson College

As a professor of history, wonder how much she would care about the once-great history of Rice football and be motivated to do something significant about returning it?

Perhaps it would be best if she doesn't learn our once-great history. Then she would be doomed to repeat it.

(08-06-2021 01:35 PM)Ranger Wrote:  

(08-06-2021 01:09 PM)Owl 69/70/75 Wrote:  I think she would be a very interesting candidate. We could certainly do worse, and based upon what I know I would support her.
But one thing about it that I can't help noticing. I was an undergraduate during the Masterson fiasco. He would have been the first non-SE president. One point of opposition (of many) raised to his hiring was that, as a non-scientist, would he have been able to play the politics needed to keep getting the big money scientific research grants. I wonder how bringing a history person in now would signify a shift in university orientation.

We have already had a religion scholar and a lawyer, neither of which is SE.
And the issue as I understood it at the time was that Masterson was a first rate A hole

Masterson was a first rate A-hole. But the opposition couldn't just say that, so they hit on the non-scientist angle.

I know we've gone non-SE for our last three (Rupp, Gillis was an economist, and Leebron) so that bridge has been long crossed. In retrospect, maybe not for the best.

Interesting candidate, indeed. However, my personal ideal candidate would be Antonio Merlo. After coming here from Penn to head up the Economics department (and elevating it to Top 25 status) and serve as Dean of the School of Social Sciences, he left after 3 1/2 years to become Dean of NYU (with oversight over everything but the professional schools). He's a huge sports fan, and coached/managed the men's and women's water polo clubs while at Rice.

(08-06-2021 01:35 PM)Ranger Wrote:  

(08-06-2021 01:09 PM)Owl 69/70/75 Wrote:  I think she would be a very interesting candidate. We could certainly do worse, and based upon what I know I would support her.

But one thing about it that I can't help noticing. I was an undergraduate during the Masterson fiasco. He would have been the first non-SE president. One point of opposition (of many) raised to his hiring was that, as a non-scientist, would he have been able to play the politics needed to keep getting the big money scientific research grants. I wonder how bringing a history person in now would signify a shift in university orientation.

We have already had a religion scholar and a lawyer, neither of which is SE.

And the issue as I understood it at the time was that Masterson was a first rate A hole

Amen to that.

(08-06-2021 04:00 PM)waltgreenberg Wrote:  Interesting candidate, indeed. However, my personal ideal candidate would be Antonio Merlo. After coming here from Penn to head up the Economics department (and elevating it to Top 25 status) and serve as Dean of the School of Social Sciences, he left after 3 1/2 years to become Dean of NYU (with oversight over everything but the professional schools). He's a huge sports fan, and coached/managed the men's and women's water polo clubs while at Rice.

I’d rather not pull from the northeast again.

(08-06-2021 04:13 PM)cr11owl Wrote:  

(08-06-2021 04:00 PM)waltgreenberg Wrote:  Interesting candidate, indeed. However, my personal ideal candidate would be Antonio Merlo. After coming here from Penn to head up the Economics department (and elevating it to Top 25 status) and serve as Dean of the School of Social Sciences, he left after 3 1/2 years to become Dean of NYU (with oversight over everything but the professional schools). He's a huge sports fan, and coached/managed the men's and women's water polo clubs while at Rice.

I’d rather not pull from the northeast again.

He's actually an Italian, born and raised. He came over to the States initially to head up Penn's top ranked economics department.

(08-06-2021 04:33 PM)waltgreenberg Wrote:  

(08-06-2021 04:13 PM)cr11owl Wrote:  

(08-06-2021 04:00 PM)waltgreenberg Wrote:  Interesting candidate, indeed. However, my personal ideal candidate would be Antonio Merlo. After coming here from Penn to head up the Economics department (and elevating it to Top 25 status) and serve as Dean of the School of Social Sciences, he left after 3 1/2 years to become Dean of NYU (with oversight over everything but the professional schools). He's a huge sports fan, and coached/managed the men's and women's water polo clubs while at Rice.

I’d rather not pull from the northeast again.

He's actually an Italian, born and raised. He came over to the States initially to head up Penn's top ranked economics department.

Not exactly. He came to the states to get his PhD at NYU and then was a professor at University of Minnesota prior to landing at Penn, where he was a professor for several years prior to ascending to leadership. But yes-he is an Italian immigrant and did his undergrad in Milan.

(08-06-2021 05:42 PM)ExcitedOwl18 Wrote:  

(08-06-2021 04:33 PM)waltgreenberg Wrote:  

(08-06-2021 04:13 PM)cr11owl Wrote:  

(08-06-2021 04:00 PM)waltgreenberg Wrote:  Interesting candidate, indeed. However, my personal ideal candidate would be Antonio Merlo. After coming here from Penn to head up the Economics department (and elevating it to Top 25 status) and serve as Dean of the School of Social Sciences, he left after 3 1/2 years to become Dean of NYU (with oversight over everything but the professional schools). He's a huge sports fan, and coached/managed the men's and women's water polo clubs while at Rice.

I’d rather not pull from the northeast again.

He's actually an Italian, born and raised. He came over to the States initially to head up Penn's top ranked economics department.

Not exactly. He came to the states to get his PhD at NYU and then was a professor at University of Minnesota prior to landing at Penn, where he was a professor for several years prior to ascending to leadership. But yes-he is an Italian immigrant and did his undergrad in Milan.

He's super charismatic, a true visionary and real proactive go-getter/doer. He never failed to sell his plans to the BOT-- whether that was for incremental professors, several new academic programs/initiatives and, of course, Kraft Hall.

(08-06-2021 01:43 PM)JustAnotherAustinOwl Wrote:  

(08-06-2021 11:24 AM)GoodOwl Wrote:  FWIW found this, which gives a biot more of her background when Davidson hired her in 2011:

Davidson College Trustees Elect Carol Quillen 18th President of Davidson College

As a professor of history, wonder how much she would care about the once-great history of Rice football and be motivated to do something significant about returning it?

Perhaps it would be best if she doesn't learn our once-great history. Then she would be doomed to repeat it.

works for the publik skools.

Looks like Cornell would be Leebron's ideal next job.

Cornell’s new partnership with Peking University exposes its fealty to China.