EDITORIAL: First priority: academics

In an era of master plans for every University ill, academics must be in the forefront. She said some aspects of the project need more detailed planning than first anticipated, and emphasized that she and other administrators want very much to "get it right," hence the unavoidable delay. There's just one thing wrong with Rodin's reasoning: By pushing academics -- and academic innovation -- out of the spotlight, she is short-changing future undergraduates and neglecting the University's preeminent mission: Education. Putting academics into the residences, encouraging interdisciplinary course offerings, pushing research and internationalizing the curriculum are still important and worthwhile goals, as crucial as keeping students safe and building snazzy new spaces for them to live in.