STAFF EDITORIAL: Barchi: One year as provost

Robert Barchi's performance as provost over the last year has been commendable, but much still has to be done. And it is a year of service for which Barchi should, on the whole, be commended. Less than two months into Barchi's tenure, the campus was shaken by the death of a 26-year-old alumnus at a fraternity party and roused to protest by the administration's decision to temporarily ban alcohol at undergraduate events. Barchi became the University's pointman on the issue, and the measures taken could have eroded his legitimacy with the student body. Cries had gone up, after all, when the initial alcohol ban was imposed without student consultation. Instead, many student leaders came to praise Barchi for his work with the Working Group on Alcohol Abuse. And while the effectiveness of the new alcohol policy is still under review, the provost deserves credit for spearheading a process that was procedurally sound. That Barchi emerged unscathed -- and with the respect of students -- is a testament to his deft handling of the situation. Behind the scenes, Barchi's reorganization of the provost's office -- including the appointment of Peter Conn as deputy provost -- has begun to pay dividends. The office now has a coherence lacking under former Provost Stanley Chodorow, and the mandate for action that former Interim Provost Michael Wachter was not in a position to muster. But crisis has again diverted Barchi's focus from long-term strategic planning and academic innovation. The Health System's woes, unfortunately, now consume much of Barchi's attention, and will continue to top his agenda for the foreseeable future. Otherwise, we look forward in the next year to an increased focus on undergraduate education and intellectual life on campus. September's proposal for an undergraduate research hub, now being spearheaded by Conn, is just one step in the right direction.