Shop Talk: Q&A with John Bassett, Clark University
Photo/Christina H. Davis
John Bassett, President, Clark University.
John Bassett didn’t know what he wanted to do when he retired as president of Clark University. He envisioned himself doing some consulting and perhaps working for a foundation. He definitely didn’t plan on being the president of another college. But that is, in fact, exactly what he’s going to do. After he finishes at Clark in June 2009, he’ll be headed west to the state of Washington to run a small college called Heritage University. Here, Bassett discusses his decision to leave Clark as well as the main reason he thinks Worcester has struggled with economic development.
>> What prompted your decision to leave Clark?
I’ve been here 10 years and in many ways that’s a really good run for a president. I always wanted to pass the torch to someone else when I felt really good about the university... This summer, as I thought about, I felt really good about Clark right now — good about the last 10 years.
>> What made your new position at Heritage University attractive?
Well, it’s funny. It’s exactly the type of thing I said I’d never do, which is be the president of another college. The only thing that excuses this decision is that it’s just a totally different place from any other college. Shortly after I told the trustees that I’d be leaving, I was contacted by a search firm looking to fill the post at Heritage. They called not to ask me if I was interested in being a candidate but if I could recommend anyone. I kept asking questions and one thing led to another and they finally asked me to visit. All the students there are people who are really outside the world of higher education. When you see them graduating and going to good jobs, you see that this place really does make a difference.
>> What’s changed at Clark over the last 10 years that made you feel okay about leaving it now?
I think mostly it’s things that I would call quality improvements. Clark has always been a great university, but there were some things qualitatively that I needed to do. The average quality of the student body right now is much higher than it was 10 years ago. There’re always been great students at Clark, but 10, 15 years ago, we were also accepting students that weren’t really equipped to take advantage of a Clark education. And the facilities. Clark is a people place not a building place, but the physical plant is much stronger today than it was then. And I think Clark is more visible nationally than it was 10 years ago.
>> What has changed in the job description for college presidents over the years?
I think we’ve gotten to be a more litigious society. Presidents and their vice presidents have to be more aware of the legal issues, whether it’s students’ rights or intellectual property rights, or human subject research. Another big change has been the tremendous increase in regulations. I think that’s a major issue in higher education right now. What’s the right balance between the autonomy of the university and the appropriate level of federal regulation?
>> WEB EXCLUSIVE: What type of regulation are you referring to?
First of all, there are the reporting requirements. You have to report everything under the sun about the students that are coming here -- police incidents, fire incidents... All kinds of things that I thought would be at the state level and now the feds have gotten involved. There's also a lot of reporting related to financial aid. I think we could give you list of about 150 long.
>> You’ve been involved in economic development efforts in the city. Where would you like to see things move in the future?
I remember thinking as a newcomer that Worcester seemed to have more assets to it than any city of its size. But I’m sure it’s still the worst marketed city in America. Nobody outside of Worcester knows there’s any reason to go to Worcester. We’ve got the assets, we just don’t do a good job of selling the assets. The state as a whole doesn’t do a good job of combining its intellectual assets with its business development. No state has more intellectual assets than Massachusetts, but North Carolina, Texas and California eat our lunch half the time because they’ve got better people marketing the state.
>> How important is the outside perception of this city to Clark and attracting students?
Clark has the double issue of being in Worcester, which is not a magnet city, although I think if it sold itself differently, it could be, and it’s in Main South. For some people that don’t want to be in an urban environment, that can be an issue. But we’ve changed our marketing, so we try to encourage students that want to be in the middle of a gritty city. But part of our identity is Worcester. Years ago the university apparently had a chance to move somewhere else but made a decision that Worcester is part of our identity.
>> WEB EXCLUSIVE: The rising cost of college tuition has become a hot topic. Do you think there's any chance that tuition levels at colleges will begin to level off?
I think colleges right now are more sensitive to the tuition issues than they ever have been before. I honestly believe that, despite what comes out in the press, that they all do try to save money. They try not to push up the price. And the reason is that most of us are in a very tight market situation. If I raise tuition 3.0 percent, I may still keep you at Clark. If I raise tuition 4.0 percent, you may say I can't do it, I'm going to UMass. Which means that there's a point in the market where an additional tuition increase will actually mean my total revenue goes down. I think we're already at a point where a lot of colleges are backing off and having smaller tuition increases.
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