As the role of college and university president increasingly becomes that of chief fundraiser, the trend is to fill the post with an individual whose administrative experience outweighs his or her academic credentials. Politicians and business leaders--people with an eye on sources of money, from legislatures or bottom-line savings--also fit the fundraising requirements.
David Baltimore Despite this trend, a small number of people trained in the biological sciences have become college presidents and are thriving. Of those The Scientist interviewed, only one who decided early on that she wanted to be an administrator--the University of Vermont's Judith Ramaley, an anatomist--was specifically trained for the career path. Most of the others enjoyed administration early in their careers and wanted university involvement. Only two of them still maintain active research laboratories: Arnold Levine, the current president of Rockefeller University, and David Baltimore, a past president of the same institution and current president ...
