Universities are sui generis, which is a fancy way of saying that they’re not businesses or governments or non-governmental organizations or bowling leagues. They’re their own thing – nothing else quite like them. I bring this up amid staff and faculty concerns about the way Penn State has launched its search for a successor to President Eric Barron. Specifically, the board of trustees has appointed an 18-member Presidential Recruitment and Selection Committee. Number of faculty members on the committee: two. A lot of faculty members are unhappy about this. At this writing, more than 700 of us have signed a petition to that effect. (Kudos to my colleague Mary Beth Oliver for getting the ball rolling.)