| Volume 96, No. 2: June 2017
President Richard F. Scholz, ca. 1920.
's presidential history, like that of the college itself, is a history of paradoxes.
This was the argument of trustee and historian John Sheehy '82 in "The Presidents of " at . The central paradox of , he said, is the combination of academic conservatism with cultural progressivism. This has given birth over the years to such quandaries as 's historically high attrition rate (as students struggled to impose the self-discipline required for intellectual freedom) to ongoing debates like faculty pay equity or marijuana use on campus.
These conflicts, though, have by no means held back. Instead, Sheehy said, "the only way to move forward was to work within the paradoxes." The Honor Principle was one example of this, occupying the "middle ground" between rules and anarchy. In the end, it has been how well each president has embraced the paradox that has determined his success.
Continue reading Paradox Embraced: A History of Presidents
"I took with me to Oregon the good and the bad of my New England heritage. Chiefly the bad, it sometimes seems. To reform the world, and quickly, I mounted my horse spear in hand and rode forth in all directions at once.
"I have mentioned the belligerent orator who shouted 'I want tax reform, I want suffrage reform, I want money reform!' And the heckler who cried, 'You want chloroform.'
"I do not blame those who felt that way about me.I hope that will continue to stand staunchly, and if necessary, stand alone, for whatever college considered right."
Continue reading : The Documentary