United States President George W. Bush appointed Yale University President Richard Levin last Friday to an independent commission charged with examining American intelligence functions, with specific regard to Iraq.
Levin is the only member of the group that is a Washington outsider -- the other six members come from various government positions.
"I think it's a good idea to have somebody appointed who's not part of the Washington political community or the intelligence community," Penn Political Science professor Avery Goldstein said, adding that Levin's lack of "preconceived ideas" about the issue would help to ensure an unbiased portrayal of the situation.
Though he may not be a specialist on intelligence issues, Levin is well acquainted with these types of committees.
"President Levin has served on a number of boards and commissions during and before his tenure, and certainly he's someone who is in demand," Yale spokesman Tom Conroy said.
Levin said he was honored to be named to the position and expects to rise to the challenge of evaluating U.S. policy from an academic standpoint.
"We need to be sure that our intelligence-gathering operations serve the nation most effectively," Levin said in a press release. "I will make every effort to contribute independently and open-mindedly to this important task."
Yale International Studies lecturer Charles Hill noted that Levin's role in evaluating financial inequities between baseball clubs on a Major League Baseball commission has left him well prepared to tackle the intelligence issue.
"He has a very analytical mind, but he also sees the big picture," Hill said. "He is able to connect public policy with the practical aspects on the ground."
Yale's administration and students seem to share Hill's confidence in Levin.
"It wouldn't be a surprise to people in the [Yale] community that the president of the United States would occasionally call on [Levin] to serve" the nation, Conroy said.
However, according to Hill, in this day and age it is unusual for educators to be appointed to such committees.
"It used to be, decades ago, that [university] presidents were national leaders on a range of issues beyond education," he said, noting the decrease in participation that recent years have brought.
He attributed the decline to the increasing responsibilities in the areas of "fundraising and administration" that university presidents now face.
Hill said that he thought Levin's appointment could signal a positive trend in this area.
"Levin has been able to rise to that higher level of national leader," he said, adding that "it would be a good thing if other university presidents were able to do that as well."
The commission still faces the task of appointing an executive director and organizing the logistical and administrative aspects of the project. Estimates of when the committee will begin issuing their report range from five or six months to a full year. Hill said he thought it would definitely be "numerous weeks" before the committee began to discuss the actual issue at hand.
Though Hill was unsure of the exact timetable that the commission will follow, he was confident in Levin's ability to simultaneously lead Yale and investigate U.S. intelligence data.
"He's a very energetic person ... [and] a very good manager, so Yale is in excellent shape," he said.
"He should be able to [serve on the commission] without any loss of effectiveness at Yale."
