Issue date: 4/9/08 Section: Forum

When Northwestern caught word of President Henry Bienen's plan to retire in August 2009, it began the process of finding a successor. Administrators compiled a selection committee to evaluate candidates to become NU's next top dog. Tuesday, the university issued a press release with the names and titles of the 29 people on this committee. Not surprisingly, this list includes 17 trustees, six faculty members, and a handful of university staff, alumni and advisers.

Unfortunately, the committee only includes one undergraduate student and one graduate student. There was not an open application process to join the committee, but rather a call for nominations from campus groups, from which the board's chairman selected the student representatives.

It is unfortunate that the nomination process was not public and unacceptable that only two voices on the selection committee will come from students. They are, after all, the reason NU exists. Maybe the administration deemed a four-year experience inferior to a faculty member's half-century of dedication or a trustee's deep pockets. However, students have a valuable perspective on NU - one that must be considered when selecting a new president.

At this point, it is up to the student representatives to commit to accurately representing the desires of the entire student body. These two members have an obligation to research, consider and translate the opinions of their peers.

This could come in the form of an open forum, a panel, or an e-mail account. They could hold office hours or invite students to post stances on a Facebook group. Whatever their method, this pair has an enormous responsibility to honor their title as "student representative" by finding ways in which to accurately and completely represent the NU student body.

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