Levy: Curriculum Vitae

CURRICULUM VITAE People in education

Donna Breaks the Mold

BY RENEE GEARHART LEVY energy-the result, a staggering list (in 1970). From there, she pro­ research at the U.S. Department of of career and personal achieve­ gressed through a series of aca­ Housing and Urban Development ments. demic appointments-assistant (HUD) under President Jimmy HEY TELL A "Donna has a rare mix of talent," professor of political science at Carter. story at the Univer­ explains one of her early mentors, Bernard M. , When Carter lost reelection and sity of Wisconsin­ Alan " Scotty" Campbell, former Spencer fellow, Guggenheim his administration left Washington, T Madison about the dean of SU's Maxwell School of fellow, visiting professor at Yale Shalala took on the presidency of first time Chancel­ Public Affairs and Citizenship and Law School, and chairman of the , becoming, at age lor-elect Donna E. Shalala paid the former chairman of the U.S. Civil program in politics and education 39, the youngest person everto hold school a visit after her appointment Service Commission. "In addition at Columbia University's Teachers the post. She breaks another barrier last May. to her being very bright, she has College-before moving into when she takes the helm of It seems Shalala had finished fantastically high levels of energy, government. Wisconsin-Madison on January I; meeting with the University's an uncanny ability of getting along Shalala developed her political she'll be the first female president Board of Regents, state senators, with people and maintaining con­ savvy in top arenas. She was the of a Big Ten university. and other legislators, and was tour­ tact with them, and an unusual pro­ only female member of the Muni­ Shalala plays as hard as she ing the campus- introducing her­ fessional commitment." cipal Assistance Corp. during New works. The commitment and con­ self to faculty members, staff Shalala spent four years as assis­ York City's fiscal crisis, and in 1977 viction that characterize her profes­ members, and students whom she tant to Campbell at SU, while earn­ she was appointed assistant secre­ sional life can be found in nearly encountered along the way-when ing master's and doctoral degrees tary for policy development and everything she does. She is a crack she came upon a university tennis player (she won the maintenance man. state championship as "Hi," Shalala said. ''I'm a teen) and a whiz at Middle the new Chancellor." Eastern cooking. And she "Oh," replied the man. "I climbs mountains- the heard they hired a girl." Rockies, the Andes, and the " He must have thought I Himalayas, twice. was loony-tunes," she As with many top-level laughs. executives, Shalala is also At five feet even, vibrant dedicated to countless Shalala (pronounced Sha­ boards and organizations, /ay-la), now serving out her most ofth em working to im­ term as president of New prove the quality of life for York City's Hunter College, less privileged segments of doesn't typify the staid, society. greying image of a college president. A woman who 0 HER EXPLOITS refuses to conform to T she brings not only stereotypical expectations, vigor but human she is probably unlike any compassion. Shalala is a college president you have product of the 1960s whose ever known. youthful idealism has never faded . Her concern for HALALA, AMAZ­ humanity is genuine, evi­ S ing to everyone who dent throughout the spec­ knows her, has trum of her life's work. accomplished more in her "I've spent most of my 46 years than most people career," she says, "trying to could conceive of in three get three things done: pursu­ lifetimes. She has a virtual­ ing excellence, making sure ly boundless reservoir of that more people had oppor­ tunity, and helping poor RENEE GEARHART LEVY kids. I have an ambitious is a staff writer and editor. Donna Shalala, chancellor-elect of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, brings to college agenda for the world." administration a flair ordinarily reserved for other professions.

22 MA&AZINE Published by SURFACE, 1987 1 Syracuse University Magazine, Vol. 4, Iss. 1 [1987], Art. 6

Following her graduation from Western College for Women in Ox­ ford, Ohio, Shalalaspenttwoyears with the , teaching English in a rural farming village in southern . "It was the thing that bright young liberal arts majors who wanted to save the world did," she has said. "I loved what I was doing." That love for helping has en­ dured. At HUD, where she super­ vised 400 employees and oversaw a $120-million budget, Shalala headed projects that included the funding of battered women's shelters, a study of the housing needs of low-income families, and the development of tougher build­ ing codes. More than half of the professional staff hired during her tenure were women. Yet Shalala's greatest legacy of human commitment may be in what she's done for Hunter College. The largest college within the City University of , weighted heavily with low-income minority Shalala and friend at Hunter's 1985 commencement. students, Hunter suffered from decaying facilities, lagging enroll­ HE SOURCE OF HER feminists , Bella good she's going to be able to do ment, and a demoralized staff when T incredible blend of com­ Abzug, and Geraldine Ferraro here," says Katherine Lyall, ex­ Shalala arrived. During her seven mitment, chutzpah, and among friends-dreamed of ecutive vice president of the years in office, she has been outright caring may be her own emulating women such as Amelia 26-campus University ofWiscon­ credited with humanizing the in­ lower-middle-class ethnic up­ Earhart, , and Eleanor sin system (and an associate pro­ stitution and transforming the col­ bringing. Roosevelt. " None of my heroes fessor at SU from 1969 through lege's reputation. Hunter is, by her The granddaughter of Lebanese were college presidents," she has 1971) . "I think . . . she will be very own account, "the hottest place in Catholic immigrants, Shalala grew said. "I neverevenmetaPh.D. until interested in having close ties with New York [City] to be right now." up with her twin sister, Diane, in a I went to college." students and will pay more attention Upon her appointment as Hunter Lebanese-Syrian community in Ironically, not on! y is she "a to the problems of academic staff president, Shalala personally . Their father, who died Ph. D.," Shalala has received 11 than has been paid in the past. Ob­ called each department head and 16 years ago, sold real estate and honorary degrees in as many years, viously, she's going to be very anx­ program director to learn about the was a civic activist. "He was a real including an honorary doctor of ious to improve the status of women different areas of the institution and leader," Shalala says. laws degree from Syracuse in June. and minority faculty members." solicit ideas for needed change. She Their mother, a teacher, began A patchwork quilt made from her By her own admission, Shalala has doubled the institution's law school at night- juggling two silk and velvet academic hoods has averaged two job offers a month physical space, quadrupled day jobs- when the girls were in adorns her dining room wall . from headhunters for the last research endowments, stabilized third grade. She is still a practicing several years, but chose the enrollment, instituted graduate pro­ attorney. Mrs. Shalala was also a HEN SHALALA Wisconsin post because " it grams, and doubled the numbers of nationally ranked amateur tennis W assumes the chancellor­ seemed like the right place at the female and minority faculty player. ship of Wisconsin­ right time," she says. "Wisconsin members to reflect the 60 percent When she was 11, Shalala played Madison, adding yet another hood is a university that has always stood minority student population of the Pigtail League softball, coached by to her collection, she will lead the for something. It has a progressive school. an energetic summer recreation nation's fourth largest university­ tradition, very much like my alma Shalala claims to know a thou­ leader named George Steinbrenner, boasting 43,000 students- and the mater, Syracuse." sand Hunter students by name or who now owns the New York third largest research institution in An avowed sports fan, Shalala major and at least half of the Yankees. the country. She will become the admits (with typical candor) that school's 700 faculty members. She ''All we needed to do, he said, was boss of more than 15,000 employees she was attracted to Wisconsin by has developed a summer job pro­ to 'learn to throw overhand and and annual budget of$795 million. Big Ten athletics also. In fact, she gram for minority students that has slide' and we'd be champs," Shalala Shalala says she will use the same scheduled her second campus visit become a national model and has said. "We did and we were. But hands-on approach at Madison to coincide with the Wisconsin­ started a day care center on campus even if we hadn't won, the lesson that's worked elsewhere, though, Hawaii football game. for Harlem children. She once sur­ paid off. If we acquired the ap­ she admits, "It will take longer "I kept saying I didn't want to be prised a group of students studying propriate skills, we could play hard­ because it's a much larger anywhere where there wasn't a for finals at the campus's only dor­ ball with anyone. It was my first institution." Division-I football team," she has mitory by showing up at midnight feminist experience." The university is counting on her. said. "Well, I've got my football to cook them breakfast. As a girl, Shala1a-who lists "There is great anticipation of the team."

NOVEW 1987 23 https://surface.syr.edu/sumagazine/vol4/iss1/6 2