On Nov. 1, Dr. Arthur Levine, PhD, assumed the role of interim president of Brandeis University. Levine takes over the role from Ron Leibowitz, who announced his resignation from the position on Sept. 25, leaving the position after holding it for eight years. The announcement of Levine replacing Liebowitz was made on the same day. Levine’s experience includes work at Columbia’s Teacher College, Harvard’s Graduate School of Education, New York University and many other institutions, along with work at various educational-based companies. On Nov. 6, Levine sent out an email to the Brandeis community to kick off his presidency, entitled “Greetings from Interim President Levine”.
Levine started off the email by expressing his love for Brandeis, which included his appreciation for “the warm welcoming community, the distinguished faculty, accomplished staff, and passionate student body.” He also talked about how Brandeis was where he got his undergraduate degree and met his closest friends, who introduced him to his wife, Linda Fentiman. Brandeis was also where Levine realized that he “wanted a career in higher education.”
Levine then goes on to talk about how being back at Brandeis reminded him of his roots and they have “grounded” him in his life in a way that he “never could have imagined back then.” He is also “excited for what lies ahead here at Brandeis and also within higher education as both are going through a time of transition.” He believes that now is “a time for innovation, opportunity, and thought leadership from this community.”
Levine says that he has a lot of reasons to believe that Brandeis will keep excelling, and he shares his three top reasons in his email. His first reason is about education, saying that, “Brandeis is an institution that joins an outstanding liberal arts college with an eminent research university in a manner that enhances the quality of both. This is a rare achievement. Typically, one dominates, generally the research university, and determines the institution’s character and priorities.” Levine has observed that, “In this sense, Brandeis is a unicorn, at once a college and a research university; the integrity of both is sustained, and each enriches the other. Both undergraduate and graduate students are nurtured.” The second reason is about values as he sees that, “Brandeis, a nonsectarian institution established by the Jewish community, is imbued with the values of its founders — a love of learning, a dedication to academic excellence, an antipathy to discrimination, and a commitment to social justice and social action.” He goes on to say that, “Beginning with the name of the university, these values are communicated to every Brandeis student inside and outside the classroom through the university’s teaching, research, public service, and the community fostered on campus.”
The third and final reason as to why Levine believes that the university will continue to excel is based on Brandeis’ innovative spirit. He believes that “Brandeis is a trailblazer, intellectually and socially. This has been true since its inception as an elite university for those discriminated against by traditional higher education, and it continues today. This spirit suffuses the campus.” When talking about this spirit, Levine believes that “It’s [sic] attracted renowned scholars and promising academics early in their careers to the Brandeis faculty. They have produced leading-edge research, prepared succeeding generations of leaders, and garnered the most prestigious awards the academy grants.” He cites the early days of the school to support this reason, saying that, “From the very first graduating class in 1952, known as ‘the pioneers,’ this environment has attracted students who want to study with society’s greatest and most innovative minds. They taught Brandeis students how to think critically, creatively, ethically, and out of the box.”
Levine finishes off the article by giving a message of hope related to recent election news. He stated that “After the election, I am even more excited to return to Brandeis and be a member of a community that eschews hate and is committed to repairing the world. We so desperately need that today.”
If you want to learn more about the school’s new president and his goals for his term, read The Hoot’s interview with Levine in our Features section.
