Posted: 01/24/07

Christine Wiseman for president
The Echo staff endorses Wiseman for St. Michael's College's next president

The Echo staff
magazine@smcvt.edu

St. Michael's College is at the precipice of one of its most important decisions in more than a decade. The search for the institution’s 16th president marks a huge change not only for the students of upcoming classes but for the college community as a whole. After listening to the three finalists at the open forums and talking with them in interviews, we feel that the next president of St. Michael’s College should be Christine M. Wiseman.

Wiseman’s presence during the open forum quickly captured our attention and her articulate and straightforward answers solidified her points. She was well-informed on a variety of issues that St. Michael’s is and will be facing in the near future but wasn't afraid to admit areas in which she was lacking knowledge, while still leaving us with the feeling that she would learn much about the college during her potential tenure. Her presentation and attitude commanded respect without being boastful and marked the proper balance between personableness and professionalism; the first candidate, vice-chairman of the board of trustees, John Neuhauser, came across as unenthusiastic and unaware of many students’ needs. While the final candidate, Jack Calareso, utilized his easy charm to connect with the audience, he was too quick in resorting to humor to avoid questions in a manner that seemed overly informal.

Neuhauser's position as an administrator of the board of trustees is itself problematic. Six members of the 11-member presidential search committee were trustees, affording them greater personal and professional relationships with Neuhauser which thus calls into question the merits of the selection process. One member of the presidential search committee, Michael McGrath, serves as a member of the board of advisers of Boston College's Carroll School of Management, where Neuhauser formerly served as a dean.

President vanderHeyden is well-liked on this campus in part because of his accessibility; students see him all the time, whether passing through the halls or in the cafeteria. Wiseman had a similar air about her, though when it was time for business, she was quick to lead the way. The self-proclaimed "straight-talker" says she enjoys interacting with students and that it is one of the reasons she was interested in the presidency position at this college. This attitude represents a continuation of one of the hallmarks on vanderHeyden’s tenure, and is a great sign for coming students.

All the candidates have strong résumés, though we feel that Wiseman's previous accomplishments only provide further proof of her standards and goals as our potential president. Her legal background will be a strong asset for addressing issues on campus with a diplomatic and prudent approach. Her academic credentials, including her current position as vice president for academic affairs at Creighton University, where she oversaw curriculum reform and a gender equity study, are both legitimate and fresh, and of the sort that can bring appropriate change to St. Michael’s.

We found Wiseman to have the strongest opinions on the dire need for additional diversity at St. Michael’s, both in the student body and among the faculty. Neuhauser was the weakest on the issue, referring to minority students tactlessly as a “competitive market” which requires that the college “pay different market prices,” to attract students to the college. Neuhauser’s comments seem to indicate that he considers the need for St. Michael’s to diversify itself for school rankings, not to provide its students with an experience that matches that of the rest of the world. Calareso welcomely cited the need for providing more scholarships to minority students, but it was only Wiseman who outwardly demonstrated an acute grasp of the sociological factors that prevent minority students from attending St. Michael’s, and she was the only candidate to discuss the need for more minority-centered programs on campus to ensure a positive experience for minorities within the college community. 

Wiseman unfortunately fell short in responding to psychology professor Dave Landers’ question regarding homosexuals at a Catholic college. Her response of “what’s the issue?” was well-intentioned, but she did not convince us that she would be a strong advocate for those for whom it is an issue--homosexual students and faculty forced to live in a still-intolerant world. We appreciate that she is willing to look past such non-factors in her judgment of those around her, but wish for a more concrete statement signaling support for homosexuals within the college community. Neuhauser was willing to say that he disagreed with the recent Vatican statement condemning civil unions, which are legal in Vermont and which some St. Michael’s faculty have received. We look for a similar pronouncement from Wiseman.

Throughout vanderHeyden’s presidency, it has been no secret that his main focus has been academics and the athletic program has suffered in his lack of attention towards it. While Wiseman pronounced that she would attend St. Michael’s games, and Calareso circumvented a question regarding St. Michael’s division status, Neuhauser addressed the issue head-on and seemed to be the only candidate that truly understood the importance of the issue for St. Michael’s athletes.

The fact that Wiseman is a woman is welcome at this college where women are underrepresented in positions of leadership. Wiseman’s appointment will serve to both modernize the patriarchal trends of the Catholic church and to place a crack in the glass ceiling that more than half of St. Michael’s graduates will have to contend with in the outside world. Appointing Wiseman would emphasize the social justice of the St. Michael’s mission, which Wiseman herself so well embodies through her advocacy against the death penalty.

Of the three final candidates, Wiseman seems to best represent a continuation of the high standards set by President vanderHeyden, while moving St. Michael’s in a positive and progressive manner over the coming years. It is because of this that we as a staff have chosen to endorse Christine Wiseman for President of St. Michael’s.