Face To Face

Life as UW Top Dawg

ON HIS STYLE: "I'm a list maker and a list keeper. I sometimes get 100 e-mail messages a day. I also have far more paper than is good for me. So I keep in hand some lists of what's really important, and I take them seriously. I do pride myself on making respectful responses to my own e-mail and my own phone calls. But it can go too far, to the point where you didn't accomplish anything as president except politeness."

ON HIS CHILDREN: Betsy, 15, and Michael, 11—"My kids are leading basically normal lives. I realize what incredibly privileged kids they are—by that I don't mean they are pampered or spoiled—but privileged to live in 808 (the President's House) and to see a succession of people come through it. They are lucky kids."

ON HIS WIFE: History Professor Suzanne Lebsock—"She has done a very good job in multiple roles and of course they are difficult roles, including being a mother, because I haven't done my share of the parenting and she's compensated for me."

ON THE ROLE OF THE PRESIDENT: "Fund-raising and lobbying are important. I know that I have to spend a good deal of time with prospective donors and with legislators. I like that stuff. But it's part of a larger package, a larger set of responsibilities having to do with communicating what the University's challenges are and how it is meeting those challenges. Everybody you talk to, everyone wants to know, 'What's the big picture? Where's the University really headed?' "



Home / Current Issue / Archives / Talk Back / Advertising / Columns FAQ / Alumni Website / Search