“The Liminal Role of the Research University President” Teresa A. Sullivan U.Va. President and George M. Kaufman Presidential Professor of Sociology

The increasing significance of the research university  Declining institutional competitors for R&D  Increased reliance on innovation for new economy  Intense international competition and national security worries  Declining opportunities for occupational inheritance

The climate of anxiety and fear accelerated after 2008  Baby Boomers and sense of personal insecurity  Job security  Pension security  Access to health care

Intergenerational anxiety  “Is college worth it?”  Unemployment rate with HS diploma: 8.3%.  Weekly earnings: $652  Unemployment rate with BA: 4.5%  Weekly earnings: $1,066 SOURCE: bls.gov

Employment and Marriage  Unemployment rate for year olds: 13.1%  Median age at first marriage: 29 for men, 27 for women, the highest age by far since 1890

Growing public sense of hardening stratification Income gap  Mean income of lowest fifth of population declined by $320 from 2007 to 2011 to $11,239. Mean income of top 5% increased by $25K to $311,444  Lowest three quintiles dropped in nominal dollars, while top two quintiles increased

Hardening stratification of universities and of fields within universities  Passion for rankings and metrics  Increased anxiety to find a successful path for one’s children

Genuine changes in labor markets  Substantial productivity improvements in the economy as a whole  QI of 2013, output per hour =  Real compensation per hour =  Hours of all persons = 98.4

Growth of placeholder positions: post- docs, internships, contingent positions  Steady decline of the traditional entry-level job  The law school example  The students' limited labor market information

The President’s role in this set of issues  Value and values  Curricular stand on the company of educated men and women  Interpret the University as an organization