The Real Campaign 2000

As Princeton chooses its next president, future challenges replace past accomplishments. President Shapiro's successor will be charged with giving Princeton's "human infrastructure" the focus and attention paid to physical projects, such as the campus center. Today we are visited by one of our nation's best-qualified leaders for this mission. His name is William Jefferson Clinton. And the challenge before Princeton's search committee will be to convince Clinton that Princeton is the perfect post-White House home for him.

Any time a U.S. president prepares to leave office, elite universities clamor to draw that outgoing leader into their fold. But post-Shapiro Princeton will be in the rare position of needing the exact leadership skills that Clinton commands. Blessed with a record fund-raising boom, but impaired by a blurry trajectory in its administration and a chronic distance from the local community, Princeton needs a president who can accomplish in One Nassau Hall what Clinton did at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

While Shapiro succeeded at bringing Princeton out of its deficit and into a surplus, he did not designate a course for this record income. He developed no plan to integrate Princeton's affluence into its mission of education and international service. Clinton's experience at engineering programs that "invest" America's wealth in enhanced social opportunities can guide Princeton to bridge the chasm between its financial capital windfall and its human capital shortcomings. His acumen for human development would help balance the University's zeal for physical growth with the less-visible living needs of faculty, staff and students in health care and campus services.

Further, Clinton's track record of hiring qualified women and people of color will ameliorate the lack of diversity recognized in the Wythes report. A Clinton presidency could enrich Princeton's higher level administrative posts and faculty if he approaches our institution with the same commitment to pluralism that he brought to his White House cabinet.

Finally, Clinton's interest in speaking with and connecting to people of all backgrounds could push Princeton decades ahead in its quest to become a more active partner in the life of the Borough and Township. As he forges his post-White House legacy, Clinton's attention could be drawn to Princeton's "margins," such as lower-income communities down Witherspoon Street. Clinton's commitment to progressive social action could make "Communiversity" a year-round network of projects and initiatives between Princeton's University and citizens, rather than an annual "town-gown" fling.

But with concurrent presidential searches by Harvard and Brown, the Princeton search committee faces stiff competition if it asks Clinton to fill Shapiro's shoes. It will take more than a beautiful golf course and an attractive location midway between Westchester and Washington to coax Clinton into Princeton's arms. He must understand that the opportunities of a Princeton presidency will enhance and build upon the legacy of his last office. We will need to show him that Princeton's accomplishments would soar under his leadership and that our needs could mold his mission.

Already a nationally recognized leader in undergraduate education and scholarly research, Princeton offers Clinton a chance to shape this Ivy League institution into the dominant producer of young leaders in the 21st century. As the undergraduate student body grows dramatically in the coming years, a Princeton education will be more accessible to a broader array of outstanding young people than ever before. At Princeton, Clinton will have the opportunity to mentor a new and diverse generation of American and international leaders, a group that grew up during his tenure in the White House. Just as John F. Kennedy inspired him, Clinton can challenge young Princetonians to use their education as a compass for life-long service and contribution.

Princeton's physical expansion and financial bounty — as well as the presence of the Wilson School — would enable Clinton to hit the ground running with his own visions for fulfilling Princeton's commitment to serve all nations. When the world bids farewell to Clinton's leadership in the White House, we at Princeton have a chance to work with him in rededicating the University to its mission of training the very best scholars, professionals and public servants. To welcome President Clinton as a new Princetonian and Princeton's president would prove a dynamic and exciting opportunity for us, for him and, most of all, for the next wave of young leaders that this institution sends forth. Jason Brownlee is a politcs graduate student from Raleigh, N.C. He can be reached at brownlee@princeton.edu.