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To the Editor:
It struck us from your recent article, “How a Transformational President Set Michigan State on a Course to Disaster
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To the Editor:
It struck us from your recent article, “How a Transformational President Set Michigan State on a Course to Disaster” (The Chronicle, May 8), that simply cataloging the missteps of Michigan State University is a missed learning opportunity for other academic institutions. We should instead be asking ourselves: What can we glean from the Michigan State case?
Our key takeaway: the culture on campus matters. A culture established by the leadership in which sexual violence is not tolerated under any circumstance sends a clear message to the community. But the culture is not created only through words; it also requires visible actions. The critical formula of “saying AND doing” has an impact on how a potential crisis and the subsequent response is interpreted by internal stakeholders, as well as those outside looking in. Conversely, a culture of insular leadership may result in a lack of perspective, a paucity of voices to challenge the institution when trying to understand why a crisis occurred, and a struggle to acknowledge responsibility. A culture of defensiveness defers or even negates the opportunity for the accountability and self-reflection required for change and healing to become possible. Lastly, a culture of perceived elitism may mean that leadership is unwilling to recognize or embrace the idea that a crisis can be a springboard for learning from one’s own mistakes, and unable to translate that learning into leadership so that others might benefit from their experience.
Those of us in higher education must ask: Are we creating campus cultures focused on eliminating sexual violence? And equally as important: Do we have the right leadership mindset to truly learn from these tragedies if they occur?
Allison Tombros Korman
Senior Director, Culture of Respect
NASPA — Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education
Washington
John Bradbury
Partner and Director, Issues & Crisis
Ketchum
New York
