Today’s university has become the equivalent of a communist command economy. It is not sensitive to the needs of the marketplace and bears no relation to reality. Its leaders have no connection with the outside world except to go to it for donations. Tuition is not worth its cost. Its cost bears no relation to actual cost and its products (ie: the degrees) are not intrinsically useful. I think the concept of the university needs a redesign and the cost to build and operate a campus for 400 students is projected at $5 million, with the $3.2 million annual operating expense allocated at $8,000 per student assuming free tuition and a $6,800 annual contribution from each student to cover non-tuition campus expenses such as room, board, educational materials and recreation. A $40 million endowment would fund all operating expenses not charged to students. An additional $35 million endowment would fund all expenses charged to students.
One thing we are not producing today are leaders. Most of our community and political leaders are people we don’t admire or respect. Courses and textbooks can be a joke – my colleague doing his MBA at Columbia showed me his textbook which was a glorified glossary of terms such as “word processing program” and other jazzed-up words with no real meaning.
We need to question basic assumptions such as: Why should a college student choose among 1,000 courses such as 18th Century Austria; do we need a lacrosse team and libraries with hard copy books; why so many buildings sprawled over so many acres; so many people on payroll; so much duplication among departments? Why 4 years; is 3 enough?
Let’s start with a prototype Leadership University (LU) for 120 people on full scholarship, much like Cooper Union did for engineers. The curriculum would be preset for the first 2 years with some choice in the latter years. LU would exist to train business, political and community leaders. To do any one of these, you have to be able to know about the business, political and social worlds because otherwise you are operating in a vacuum, as many are. No matter what you do, you need the fundamentals: Written and oral rhetoric, a smattering of exposure to ideas, history and culture, an understanding of how things work, foreign language and interpersonal skills – amazing how many university grads even with graduate degrees can’t balance a checkbook, make a speech, write a business letter, tell you how an airplane flies, or what any major philosopher wrote about. A bit of etiquette, as in how to hold a fork, shake hands and waltz, plus some sound mind/body training, will round out the picture. More specific tutorials include instructions on international personal and business relations (yes, international relations is at its essence personal), selling ideas, people and products, and relations with bureaucracies and other organizational structures. Weekends to be built around scholars in residence and reinforcement activities such as intensive-language weekends to supplement foreign language study. Mini-course workshops should ensure that certain real-life skill-sets are endowed which are all too often taken for granted and never taught. First year students will live on campus.
Take a few acres in the Catskill Mountains near Ellenville, NY about 90 minutes drive from New York City. Property is reasonably priced; you need 2 buildings: for living, instruction and administration. Students will later pay back costs for future students and in the meantime, there will be lots of freebies from companies and individuals hoping to get the attention of this student body that is creme de la creme. Teachers whose priority is teaching need to be engaged.
I propose that students will sacrifice choice for a track of coursework taught by top-level professor/mentors whose mission it is to mold future leaders. The comradery offered by such a tight-knit group is also an incentive to attend. Full scholarship will help ensure that the student body is chosen by merit; the incentive to succeed can be maintained by having students pay for food, utilities and expenses and leaving open the possibility of failure which all too often doesn’t exist.
Courses are intentionally designed as multi-disciplinary hybrids built around skill-sets and background areas meant to be organized by coordinators who will bring in guest lecturers from time to time; curricula to emphasize primary sources rather than text books. Students shall write and defend a thesis in their senior year. Second year students shall each mentor one first year student and meet once a week to assist in coursework and guidance.
To invest in the future generation of Jewish leaders, a special 1 year intensive program (or 2 summer sessions) is proposed for 40 of these people. The other 80 people in a given year would help create a diversified student pool. The program consists of half day Hebrew intensive language training plus a half day of coursework designed to familiarize the student with the gamut of Jewish heritage and to enable him or her to deal with contemporary issues in an educated manner. This model can be adapted to other religions, ethnic groups or nationalities.
I have some real beefs about my educational years – I felt I learned more from my colleagues in the cafeteria than I did from books. Too many professors who never returned a phone call once I graduated which meant to me that they didn’t take an interest in their students as future anythings. I saw people graduate with 4.0 averages who knew little about their major and flunked standardized achievement tests in their subject area.
We need to think about this concept of education and see what kind of reforms we can propose. Following is a more specific plan of action.
Curriculum
Semesters 1 & 2
Written & Oral Rhetoric
Timeless Ideas & Events Immemorial
How Things Work
Etiquette
Physical Skill Building
Orientation Workshop (1st Sem.)
Technology Literacy Workshop (2nd Sem.)
Semester 3
Foreign Language
Marketing of Ideas, People & Products (aka Private Sector, Lobbying, Campaigning)
International Interpersonal, Business and Diplomatic Relations
Market Theories and Political Systems
Business Literacy Workshop (ie: Understanding Basic Financial & Legal Documents)
Semester 4
Foreign Language
Managing and Relating to Bureaucracies and Complex Organizations
Community Structures and Relations
Case Studies in Leadership
Media Relations Workshop (ie: Appearances and Rules of the Road)
Semesters 5-6
Courseblocks based on Tracks of Business, Political or Community Leadership (see next page)
Personal Skill Development (ie: Relaxation, Time Management, Martial Arts, Survival Skills)
Workshops: Ethics; Etiquette Refresher
Thesis Submission and Defense
Academic Year
A semester consists of 13 weeks of lectures, 1 week reading period, 1 week of exams, and 1 week of workshops per semester. In the senior year, one semester will be 12 weeks of lectures plus a week dedicated to senior thesis.
Third Year Courses
Business Track
Financial Accounting
Operations Management
Comparative Business, Economic & Political Systems
Strategies & Tactics in Business
External Forces: Regulation, Interest Groups
Technologies & Processes
Political Track
American Government
Analyzing Contemporary Issues
Strategies & Tactics
The Middle East
Religion & Ethnicity
Political Management
Community Track
Sociology & Anthropology
Current Issues
Strategies & Tactics
Religion & Ethnicity (joint course with Political Track)
Principles of Psychology & Education
Community Management
Capital Budget
Acquisition of Land and 2 Buildings and a small clubhouse near Ellenville, New York $400,000
Renovation of 2 Buildings – $10 per square foot or 50,000 SF or $500,000
Outfit Each Office and Professor Suite with computer equipment & furniture 75k
Cafeteria 100
Infirmary 25
MIS 50
Photocopy 15
Gym 25
Dorm Rooms 50 (bed, desk, carpet at 500 per room)
Knowledge Center 50
Lounges 10
Total Capitalization 1.3m
Startup Expenses
500k: 400k salaries for Dean, President, Admissions, Architect and 100k for offices for a year
100k Student Recruitment
Total Startup Expenses 600k
Total Capitalization & Startup 1.9m
Administrative Operating Expenses
Janitorial 25
Office Supply 25 (25 offices)
Telecom 25
Electric 25
CA/TV 10
Internet 25
Insurance 100
Transportation 150 (Cars and occasional helicopter)
Programming Budget Special Events 100
Workshops 100
Dean and President Expenses 100
Total Operating Expenses 700k
Total Personnel 2.5m (1.6m Administration; $900,000 Professors with all programs running; breakdown attached)
Total Operating 3.2m per year (subtract $450,000 Year 1 due to fewer professors)
Or $8,000 per student based on 400 students.
Total To Capitalize, Startup and Operate For the First Year: 4.65 million
Self-Funding Expenses
Food for all at $150 per week per person or $4,800 per 32 week year
Utilities for Dorms – Telephone, Internet & CATV at $500 per year per student
Housing for Staff who live on campus in extra dorm rooms
Rent for 2nd and 3rd year students
Student Activity Fee of $1,000 per student to student fund for general activities and offices
Student Materials Fee to cover Books and Course Materials 500
Bonuses to President and Dean
Administrative and Educational Building
2 stories plus basement at 20,000 SF
1 Social Hall with seating for 300 (eating and special events) 2,500
1 Lecture Hall seating 120 that can be subdivided: 1,000
3 Seminar Rooms seating 40: 1,500
2 Extra Seminar Rooms for 20: 500
Student Lounges 1,500
Administrative Offices: Dean (500), President (500), Registrar (750), Buildings & Grounds (500), Campus Programming (500), Security (500); Financial (750).
Career Placement (1,000)
MIS (500)
Admissions (500)
Copy Center (1,000)
Professor Suites (13×200 or 2,600)
Restrooms 1,000
Lobby 500
Residential Building
4 stories plus basement. 30,000 SF total. Dormitory top 3 floors. Cafeteria and lounges in lobby; gym, and various offices and services in basement.
Dormitory for 120 students (95 rooms; 3 Floors with 30 rooms apiece with 5 rooms on ground floor): 20,000 SF
Cafeteria (3,000)
Recreational Lounges (1,000)
Gym (2,000)
Campus Organization Suites (1,000)
Shipping and Receiving (1,000)
Knowledge Center (1,000)
Janitorial (500)
Infirmary (500)
Administrative Personnel (Number and Total Department Salary)
Gym assistant 1 / 30
Shipping & Receiving 1 / 30
Janitors 4 / 120
Nurse 1 / 40
Knowledge Center 1 / 50
Driver 2 / 60
Cafeteria 6 / 200
Copy Center 2 / 60
MIS 2 / 80
Admissions Director & Assistant 2 / 90
Career Center Director & Asst. 2 / 90
Dean & Asst. 2 / 160
President & Asst. 2 / 160
Registrar & Asst. 2 / 80
Buildings & Grounds & Asst. 2 / 80
Campus Programming Director & Asst. 2 / 80
Security 3 / 90
Finances & Asst. 2 / 80
Total this Section $1.6m
Academic Personnel
Year 1 Program 350k
Year 2 Program 240k
Year 3 Program 650k
Jewish Studies Program 260k
Total 1.5m
* These figures are notional; as part-time positions are consolidated into full-time positions, the total professorial staff cost is $800,000 per year. See breakdown below.
A full week has 26 periods in which lectures can take place. Each period is 90 minutes. A full time professor teaches 12 periods; if all 12 lectures are non-repeating, the salary is $80,000.
Breakdown
2 Full Time Physical Training Instructors each teaching 18 periods per week at 50k each = 100k
2 Full-Time Hebrew Ulpan Instructors each teaching 5 mornings per week at 50k each = 100k
2 Full Time Rhetoric Instructors each teaching 12 periods per week at 60k each or 120k
1 Full-Time Instructor notionally allotted Timeless Ideas, Market Theory, How Things Work and Marketing (12 periods per week) at 80k
1 Full-Time Instructor notionally allotted International Relations, 3rd Year Course 1, Section A, Section B, Section C @80k
1 Full-Time Instructor notionally allotted 3rd Year Course 2 Sections A-C, Course 3 Section =80
1 Full-Time Instructor notionally allotted 3rd Year Course 3 Sections B (&C combined), and 8 periods Jewish Studies Program=80
1 Part-Time Etiquette Instructor teaching 8 periods per week at 40k
2 Full-Time Foreign Language Instructors teaching 9 periods plus 5 labs per week each @ 60k x2=120k
Total Personnel Teaching all 4 years of programs =800
Workshops
1 week x 5 days x 3 people each at 5k each x 3 years x 2 per year + 10k for course materials = 100k per year
Allotment of Rooms and Sample Schedules
FIRST YEAR
M T W TH F
0930 TE R1 PT6 TE R1 PT6 TE
1130 HTW R2 PT1 HTW R2 PT1 HTW
1400 E1 R1 R3 PT2 E1 R1 R3 PT2
1600 E2 R2 R4 PT3 E2 R2 R4 PT3
1800 E3 R3 R5 R5 PT4 E3 R3 R5 R5 PT4
2000 E4 R4 R6 R6 PT5 E4 R4 R6 R6 PT5
One additional PT period either Friday or during the weekend.
Key: TE Timeless Events
HTW How Things Work
R Rhetoric
E Etiquette
PT Physical Training
SECOND YEAR
M T W TH F
0930 FL1,2,3 MT FL1,2,3 MT FL1,2,3
1130 FL4,5,6 MAK FL4,5,6 MAK FL4,5,6
1400 IR IR IR
Key: FL Foreign Language
MT Market Theory
IR International Relations
MAK Marketing
(Spring courses have different names but follow the same pattern)
One Foreign Language Lab sometime during the week; small conversational group.
THIRD YEAR
M T W TH
0900 PT5,6 PT5,6
1030 PT1,7 PT1,7
1230 PT2,8 PT2,8
1400 PT3,9 PT3,9
1600 PT4,10 PT4,10 I
1800 I I II III
2000 II III III II
One additional PT period on Friday or weekend.
Key: I Course 1 from applicable courseblock
II Course 2 from applicable courseblock
III Course 3 from applicable courseblock
Notes
All Single Blocks take place in Room A either as one room or subdivided into 3 smaller rooms
All multiple blocks take place in Seminar Rooms 1, 2 and 3.
Language labs are small conversational groups that take place around campus.
PT takes place in the gym or outside.
One Year Program Designed for 40 Potential Jewish Leaders
Curriculum and Sample Schedule
Monday-Friday 0930am – 1200 Hebrew Ulpan
Monday-Thursday 1330-1500 Period A
Monday-Thursday 1530-1700 Period B
FALL
Monday Tues Wed Thur
A 5 Books of Moses Oral Law Laws & Rituals Prophets & Scriptures
B L&R P&S Bible Oral Law
Workshop: A Week in the Beit Medrash (1 on 1 study of texts)
SPRING
A History Philosophy Contemporary Issues Culture
B C.Issues Culture History Philosophy
Workshop: Intensive Hebrew Immersion
Classes take place in seminar rooms or elsewhere on campus.
