UI shouldn’t seek to replicate current DOS Bruce Pitman
A six-year-old boy named Calvin is seated at the dinner table. In front of him is a bowl of soup. He examines it and complains how much it isn’t like his mom’s. Mom’s way of setting the table and fixing food is better, he says. His babysitter, Rosalyn, who prepared the soup, marches in and screams, “I am not your mom, all right?!?”
On the surface, “Calvin and Hobbes” has little to do with the search for a new dean of students at the University of Idaho, but this strip still applies to the process.
Over the last two weeks, three of the four DOS candidates have presented their ideas about the job and how they would approach it at open forums held on campus. The natural tendency is to take these presentations and compare it with the campus legend, our current DOS Bruce Pitman. During the forums, UI faculty and students have asked the candidates how long they intend to stay in the position and how they intend to fill Pitman’s shoes.
With the continual references to Pitman and how efficiently he did his job, the university as a whole appears to have taken the role of Calvin. One can only imagine the candidates wanting to react to these questions and comparisons like Rosalyn — with a resounding, “I am not Bruce Pitman, all right?!?” No one could blame them if they dared respond in this way. It’s intimidating to have a legacy like Pitman’s hanging over your head.
There’s no denying Pitman’s impact on the university. All one ever hears are kind and affectionate remarks toward him. The university sings his praises — and for good reason. He has served UI for just over four decades, and he has served well.
However, the university seems to want a new Pitman. That’s understandable. I want a new Martin Luther. But where does that get anyone? There will only be one Bruce Pitman, in the same way there is only one Martin Luther. To expect anyone to step into the shoes of any legend and walk in their path guarantees nothing more than an uninspired copy of the predecessor.
Don’t look for the next Pitman. The next person in line isn’t Bruce Pitman, nor should they be. If that’s what the university wants, we might as well keep the real Pitman from retiring. If you want to compare what the candidates have done to Pit- man’s accomplishments, fine. But, we should allow the candidates to be themselves. Just because we had one DOS graciously give over 40 years of his life in service to the university, doesn’t mean we can or should demand the same of the next one.
This isn’t to say we shouldn’t look up to Pitman as a prime example of a DOS. It’s OK to want the next dean to be like him, but we should refrain from making the position all about one man.
After all, these candidates are not Bruce Pitman. The new dean may set the table differently than their predecessor, and as long as they fulfill the duties, there’s nothing wrong with that. And who knows, maybe their legacy will outshine Pitman’s in the future because of their different approach. However, they certainly won’t shine if they try to be someone else.
Andrew Jenson can be reached at [email protected]