President Meyers Addresses Recent S.L.C. Successes

by Lillian Ferrall

Wednesday February 14, 2007

First of all I’d like to say congratulations on receiving the Legion d’Honneur.

Thank you, I’m thrilled.

What was it like to get it?

Well I haven’t received it yet— it will be conferred in April— but I learned about it on January 2. I thought, is this a joke? No, no, it’s not a joke. it was published in the official journal, the government journal on that day. I was just thrilled beyond belief. I mean it’s the highest honor in France.

Also, there’s been talk on campus amongst the students about the 3 million dollar grant we’ve just received.

Right, the Andrew Mellon grant.

Students have been wondering if this is just something that the school is putting out to try to lift our spirits, or if this is really a big deal in terms of funding.

Oh, it’s a very big deal. It’s a huge deal. First of all the Andrew Mellon foundation is one of the largest and the best foundations, and it’s a very big grant. They never make large grants, so not only are they giving us the 3 million but in order to get the 3 million we have to raise 9 million to go with it, which we have done. So, the complete package is really a 12 million dollar package. The 9 million hve been given by alums to meet the challenge from mellon. It’s a challenge grant. So this is extraordinary. it’s great. And it’s all going to go to the endowment, which is th ebiggest weakness we have. It is a big deal. This is not just to make people feel good. I mean they should feel good, but this is unusual. There are only seven schools who got awarded. Mellon has real confidence in the institution… It is a significant piece of the new campaign.

So obviously increasing the endowment and fundraising were big goals of yours when you first came here eight years ago. Did you have any other ideas for Sarah Lawrence?

Well, yes. The reason I came is because I knew the institution was financially dicey. That has changed for the better, but it’s not enough. It’s still dicey. I thought it had a mission that could not be beat. To give one an education.

That’s why I’m here.

That’s rght. That’s why everyone’s here. They’re not here because we have great facilities, you know. They’re okay, but you’re here because you’re getting a terrific education from a terrific faculty and you’re not getting it in a mass way. It’s not mass education, it’s personal education… That to me is hugely attractive.

So, what has been the most interesting moment of being President? What has been the best time that you’ve had here?

Oh, that’s hard to say, honestly. The thing that sticks with me is, six months after I came here, when I interviewed and when I came on the campus, what’s so special about Sarah Lawrence? What makes it so different? Yes, it’s different. Everybody says they’re different, but what’s different here? And I heard the same response from everybody. I heard it from the students, the faculty, the staff, the trustees, the alumni. They would all say the same thing. It’s the pedagogy, the conference system. And everybody would say that, from the first-year student to everybody else… That was a real moment for me. I thought, that’s good. That place has an identity. It knows who it is. Only the best places know who they are.

Karen Lawrence is going to be the one to take the next step with Sarah Lawrence as president. What advice would you give to her?

I have said to her, “Focus on the central mission…” We need to preserve this. I think we are a leader in higher education.

It sounds like there’s going to be a lot of things you’re going to miss about Sarah Lawrence. Are you going to stay in New York?

Yes, I have an apartment in New York. I love the city. I will stay very close to the college. I mean I won’t be in Karen’s way— she needs her autonomy— but I have made very close friends here. Those friendships won’t go away.

How would you like to be remembered by Sarah Lawrence?

I would like to be remembered as someone who really believed in this place, who loved it. As someone who worked to make it better. That would make me very happy.