November 18, 2002
For more information, contact Laura M. Massie at 216-368-4442 or lmm25@po.cwru.edu.

 

CLEVELAND—Below is a letter Case Western Reserve University President Edward M. Hundert sent to the editors of the New York Times commenting on an article published by the Times November 14 concerning the gift to the University by Peter Lewis.

To the Editors:

Peter Lewis is an extraordinary supporter of Case Western Reserve University. Since starting as president of the University three months ago, I have enthusiastically embraced his call for change and improvement. His $36.9 million gift to the University for the new home of the Weatherhead School of Management gives us cause for celebration and for rethinking everything we do at this University. Peter and everyone at the University agree that the $61.7 million Frank Gehry-designed building is far better than the originally proposed $25 million rectangular box, not only because it is now the most innovative home for a business school in the world, but also because it prompts all of us to re-examine our educational philosophies, to "think outside the lines."

It was not clear from your recent article that the University at the center of this activity is in fact one of the nation's leading private research universities. Many of our programs rank in the top ten in the nation, from biomedical engineering to nursing, from research in fuel cells and neuroscience to social work education. The article focused on the Weatherhead School of Management, whose MBA program is currently ranked 26th in the U.S. by The Economist, and whose Executive MBA is ranked 13th in the U.S. by The Financial Times. These are not reasons for complacency, but rather a call to move this University into the very top tier through bold leadership over the years ahead, to create a uniquely powerful learning environment by combining experiential learning with the rigorous theory of a research university.

Peter has correctly addressed the importance of the board's role in making this transformation happen. Our board had been working on governance reform throughout the past year, and last month it approved sweeping changes that will lead to a more national board reflecting the national prominence to which we aspire. While Peter called for the resignation of the entire board to make this change immediate, the board's governance committee established a more measured process that tries to maintain some continuity, with new term limits leading to a turnover of approximately half the board over the next two years. The intention to appoint national leaders was made clear with the first four new trustees, including one of our Nobel Prize-winning alumni and other similarly prominent individuals from across the country.

While he has been very concerned about board governance, it is important to set the record straight that Peter Lewis is one of the most committed philanthropists in the world, whose efforts grow out of the kind of passion for the University and for Cleveland that can be found only in one whose family has attended CWRU for generations. It was not his anger, but rather his care for the institution and for Cleveland that led to his boycott of Cleveland charities. Great cities do indeed need great universities. Our goal is to capitalize on the enormous gift that he has given this institution, and to transform this University into one of the finest and most forward-thinking and creative institutions of the 21st Century.

Edward M. Hundert

President of the University

–CWRU–

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