The people are waiting for a king. Last Spring, at a meeting of students, faculty members and administrators, I was seated at the same table as President Bienen. For a while we talked about how so many people at Northwestern seem to be frantically busy. People run from one meeting to the next, from one assignment to the next. There doesn't seem to be enough time to get everything done.
Students say they are stressed to the max.
They have no time for fun. It seems there isn't enough time to absorb what's being learned or to reflect on larger issues. President Bienen said that he attributed it to the quarter system. I thought a university president did have a magic wand. We attribute great power to our leaders.