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Wednesday, January 31, 1973
University Daily Kansan
Chalmers stands contentedly in front of the Art Institute on a cold winter afternoon. He and his ion friend nobile face Michigan Ave.
Chicago: 'A Charming Difference'
Kansan Staff Writer
By RANDALL BECKER
CHICAGO-Five months ago, E. Laurence Chalmers Jr., former chancellor of the University of Kansas, was surrounded by portraits of former KU chancellors Franklin Murphy, Denee Malott and W. Mark Serwezcio. Today, he has joined his office in Bramandt and views paintings by Renoir, Rembrandt and Monet.
Chalmers' life style has changed since he accepted the position as director of the Art Institute of Chicago in late September. Yet he is still the man with the bow tie and the ever-present smoking pipe, who presided over the University for three turbulent years.
Chalmers says quite convincingly that he is pleased and satisfied to be in Chicago heading the Art Institute. Recalling the challenges he faced during a recent interview that he was initially "surprised" that the Kansas Board of Regents accepted his resignation after he and his wife, Mary, were on grounds of "incompetibility."
"I WASN'T Able to devote time to analyzing the'regents' actions, but you can't separate the personal affairs from the chancellor. The two are inseparable issues although ideologically it makes no sense at all.
"I SUBMITTED my resignation because I felt it was not a decision that I could make alone," be said. "Initially I didn't expect the police to intervene, but when I responded with them I would. I should resign."
"The University of Kansas depends on two million persons for forty per cent of its funds. If too many are offended, then it demands the warfare of the University," Chalkers said.
"For them it was a difficult topic," he said. "The divorce posed a serious problem for them; should the chancellor be a man? They thought it to be inappropriate."
Chalmers said the releged voiced "general concern" to him whether the head of a major state university could remain in office after a divorce.
"Possible efficiency would have been only momentarily affected. It was a question of how much time it took."
Noting that the personal life of the
Charles Oldfather, University attorney, attended the NCAA conference with Chalmers while he was there. At least once every twovention in the Chicago Loop last month. He, like many others, weeks smiling, familiar faces drop by his office to say 'hi.'
chancellor would always have some bearing on the University, Chalmers said he had to accept the regents' decision. He said that not before the turn of the next century did he foresee the presidents or chancellors of universities being divorced men or women.
Despite his sudden departure from KU, malmers said, he never felt victimized by the team's actions.
"I happened to be there during turbulent times." Chalmers said. "I did what I thought was best for the students and faculty, and hopefully this will be born out. My hand was played just faster than normally."
CHALMERS, KU's 119th chancellor, came to the University in 1969 from Florida State University where he was vice president of academic affairs.
"It might be that possibly I was the right person for that turbulent period," he said. "I was often on the minority position before it became the majority position. I would much rather be on that side than the other way around."
He readily admitted that his first year here, which included a major fire at the Kansas Union, student demonstrations and attempt to oust him, was his most crucial year.
Chalmers said he had had no regrets about accepting the KU position.
Referring to himself as a transitional chancelor, Chalmers said, however, that his term fell only one year short of the average tenure for chancelors.
"EVEN THROUGH the turbulent period, when I would go 24 to 36 hours without sleep, it would all be offset by the warm response by students, faculty and alumni. The positive reaction weighted the rest of the response through. There was always a warm response."
Chalmers said that he felt he eventually overcame difficulties he had developed with the regents and that by last spring they "referred that I stay on."
This of course, developed after the regents met during the summer of 1970 to decide whether Chalerms should be allowed to remain Chancellor. The movement to fire Chalmers, led by Henry Bubb, Topeka regent, fell only one vote short, 4 to 3.
"The regents and I always had an active interaction," Chalmers said. "Sometimes it was more intense than they or I preferred. Ideologically, Mr. Bubb and I were further apart. Philosophically we differed on such issues as funds and mission."
DESCRIBING HIS OWN VIEWS as "liberal," Chalmer says that his views differed more from Bubb's than from those of Mr. Cox, who were relegated when he was KU chancellor.
Although he said the University was too large for one man to leave his mark, the 44-year-old former chancellor indicated a particular pride in his efforts toward a more equitable state budget for higher education in Kansas.
He said the implementation of a zero-based budget, which he was unable to complete, was his favorite project. The zero-based approach, which looks at the budget in a more formulated manner than the present request-and-allocation budget system, could be started at KU within two years, he predicted.
"The institutions shouldn't have to respond to minor fluctuations," he said. "Year to year, the legislatures never look at the base. They are used to looking at new programs and studies and deciding on sums that they have not yet developed a sophisticated
“THE REGENTS are trying, however. Others were suspicious, as most usually are about anything what originates at KU. They now have found it in their best interest.”
was at KU to analyze last year's total budget for the six state universities and colleges by rewording it to give the public a better understanding of the use of all funds. He said the same approach would probably be taken with KU's next budget.
Chalmers said plans were made while he
Budget issues will be the major problem facing the 13th chancellor, according to Chalmers. He said he found makingetary cutbacks on one of his most difficult tasks.
The next chancellor should be one able to see the "fundamental scholarly mission of the institution," he said, and have "sensitively encouraged his mastering to professionals with no peer."
HE SAID the next chancellor would need to be an administrator who could watch what came across his desk, support innovative programs, say no "gently but firmly to proposals of medico-" and who not channel money into unproductive areas.
Although Chalmers said he thought the selection of a new chancellor would not be made as a backslash to his own administration, he did say that he would not participate in advising the search committee and that he had not been approached
for any such advice.
Although reluctant to comment much on the composition of the search committee, which was organized in September, Chalmers said he had reservations about the amount of alumni representation on the committee.
"I wonder about the inclusion of the alumni in the search committee," he said. "It only doubles the alumni representation because many of the regents are also KU alumni. My only hope is that the finalists are commonly agreed upon."
THE 12-MEMBER search committee has been working for several months and recently began discussions on more than 75 recommendations. Chalmers said a decision made later than February could lessen the longer the committee waited, the more suspicious prospective candidates would become about the University's interest.
Chalmers also discounted the possibility of the next KU chancellor being a woman. He said a well qualified woman could become distinguished chancellors but in order to receive wide-spread support in Kansas, she would have to be considered
See CHALMERS Next Page
Chalmers describes a scale model of both the present and the newly proposed mult-million dollar addition to the Art Institute. The completion date for this project is approximately 2016.
The Art Institute is known worldwide for its skilled techniques in the restoration of paintings. Here Chalmers inspects a Renoir in the Restoration Room. This is one of many paintings that will be in a special showing of Renoir's works.
Kansan Staff Photos by Dan Lauing
Here at his desk, Chalmers spends most of his day. Approximately 98 per cent of his time is spent in administrative work, and about 2 per cent in the arts, he said. The symbolic lion stands at the top of his desk, the sign of the Art Institute of Chicago.
A mirrored image of Chalmers provides the background for this meeting with John Maxon, a former director of the KU art museum. Maxon currently is in charge of all donations to the institute, and his office is appropriately next door to our former chancellor's.