On Tuesday, Marc Ambinder broke the story that Penn State University president Graham Spanier is being considered for Secretary of Education. Today, Penn State's student paper the Daily Collegian followed up on this rumor.
Daily Collegian story
Spanier, obviously had no comment, to which Ambinder pointed out that this is a good indication that Spanier is being vetted.
"If he wasn't a candidate, he would easily be able to say he wasn't a candidate. So not commenting is akin to saying, 'Yeah, I'm being considered,' " Ambinder said. "It'd be easy for him to rule this out, as many potential cabinet picks have done. The only reason why you wouldn't do that is you think you might be under consideration or consulting with the Obama team."
Obviously, the University and the Obama transistion had no comment. Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell's office, however, did weigh in.
"We haven't heard that, but certainly Graham Spanier is an education professional with an impeccable reputation and impressive resume," said Chuck Ardo, press secretary for Gov. Ed Rendell. "So, if the Obama folks turn to him as Secretary of Education, it would come as no surprise."
So, who is Graham Spanier? Here is the official University bio for Dr. Spanier.
Graham Spanier was appointed Penn State's 16th president in 1995. His prior positions include chancellor of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, provost and vice president for academic affairs at Oregon State University, and vice provost for undergraduate studies at the State University of New York at Stony Brook. He previously served Penn State from 1973-1982 as a member of the faculty and in three administrative positions in the College of Health and Human Development. He holds academic appointments as professor of human development and family studies, sociology, demography, and family and community medicine.
A distinguished researcher and scholar, he has more than 100 scholarly publications, including 10 books, and was the founding editor of the Journal of Family Issues. A family sociologist, demographer, and marriage and family therapist, he earned his Ph.D. in sociology from Northwestern University, where he was a Woodrow Wilson Fellow, and his bachelor's and master's degrees from Iowa State University, where he was honored with the Distinguished Achievement Citation and an honorary doctorate.
A national leader in higher education, Spanier serves as chair of the National Security Higher Education Advisory Board, is a member of the National Counterintelligence Working Group, and is a member of the Board of Advisors of the Naval Postgraduate School. He chaired the Association of American Universities, the Board of Directors of the National Association of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges, the Big Ten Conference Council of Presidents/Chancellors, and the NCAA Division I Board of Directors. He led the Kellogg Commission on the Future of State and Land-Grant Universities, was a founding member of the Internet2 board, served on the Board of Trustees of the National 4-H Council, and serves on the board of Junior Achievement Worldwide. He was president of the National Council of Family Relations, chairman of the Board of Directors of the Christian Children's Fund, vice-chair of the Worldwide Universities Network, and co-chair of the Committee on Higher Education and the Entertainment Communities.
But that doesn't really tell the story of who Dr. Spanier is. I was lucky enough to be at Penn State when he was brought in as President. Even before the days of e-mail and text messages, Spanier was incredibly accessible to students. He hosted brunches with different student groups, attended fraternity and sorority meetings and returned calls to students and parents. This is also from is university bio.
Dr. Spanier has been described as an unconventional university president. He loves spending time with students. He is a magician, has performed with Penn State's Musical Theatre students, the Blue Band, the Glee Club, and the Chamber Orchestra. He occasionally substitutes for the Nittany Lion mascot. He has run with the bulls in Pamplona, has a commercial pilot's license, and plays the washboard with the Deacons of Dixieland, the Phyrst Phamily, and other bands. He and his racquetball partner are the nine-time, reigning Penn State co-ed intramural racquetball champions. He is the host of "To the Best of My Knowledge," the live, call-in program on public television and radio. But most of his time is spent overseeing one of the nation's largest and most comprehensive universities, with 40,000 employees on 24 campuses, an annual budget of $3.6 billion, and a physical plant of 1,700 buildings. He has overseen more than $2.5 billion in philanthropic contributions to Penn State.
Spanier is a registerd Democrat and routinely refers to himself as a progressive. He has written extensively about education and notably about national security and education.
National Security Intersects Higher Education
Balancing national security and academic freedom
He has called for increased spending on science and math education.
Science education, research need a boost from U.S.
Americans have prospered for more than two centuries because we are explorers and seekers of new knowledge. Science is the bedrock upon which U.S. economic growth has rested since the nation's leadership responded to the 1957 launch of Sputnik with a substantial investment in research and education. Federally supported basic research was the basis for an extraordinary array of technological advances, from the Internet and global positioning systems to MRIs and MP3 players. New investments are likely to produce the next-generation Internet, alternative energy sources, and inventions we can now barely imagine.
Moreover, in the U.S. system, the training of the next generation of scientists is a critical byproduct of this research. And improving science and math education at all levels can ensure that a generation of Americans has the skills to compete and flourish amid globalization rather than pine for jobs that are not coming back.
Dr. Spanier has done signifcant amount of writing. A lot it is available here.
Dr. Spanier speeches and editorials.
I think he would make a great addition to Obama's cabinet.