Members of The Daily’s editorial board sat down with University President Morton Schapiro
last week to discuss Greek life deactivations, standardized testing requirements for undergraduate admissions and his goals for his final year as president. University spokesperson Jeri Ward was present. This interview was lightly edited for clarity and brevity.
The Daily: The University recorded zero cases from May 14 to 20. What is your biggest takeaway from how the community responded to the pandemic?
Schapiro: If there are any safer communities in the world, it’s Evanston, Northwestern campus and Streeterville. I really give the credit to the students, faculty, staff, everybody else, but it’s really the students who behaved in an incredible way.
University President Morton Schapiro and senior administrators discussed vaccinations, finances and social justice initiatives in Tuesday’s ‘Conversations with the President.’ The annual event was co-sponsored by the Northwestern University Staff Advisory Council, the Faculty Senate and the Office of the President. Schapiro was joined after opening remarks by Provost Kathleen Hagerty, Craig Johnson, senior vice.
Morton Schapiro talks tenure, divestment and new president search dailynorthwestern.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from dailynorthwestern.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
In late November, a committee within the Northwestern chapter of the American Association of University Professors published a report criticizing the administration’s COVID-19 response, calling several budgetary and academic decisions out of line with the mission of education.
A national nonprofit organization, the AAUP identifies and defines key educational and professional values in order to set standards for higher education and promote academic freedom. The November report, compiled by NU-AAUP committee members, examined the actions of the University against the standards set by the AAUP nationally. While the AAUP tends to focus on scholarship rather than broader administrative actions, the report steps beyond the boundaries of scholarship, approaching budgetary, accreditation and governance concerns.