Presidential Blog

As my plane landed in Hyderabad, my phone rang. Before we had finished taxiing to the gate, I heard the shocking news from Gould Hall. I was stunned.

Whenever I travel, especially abroad, I have in the very back of my mind a nagging sense that some emergency could occur, some political flare-up, some personnel issue or some such thing. Never have I imagined the horror of Monday.

I spent the night—Seattle’s day—on the phone and on email tracking events and responses, frustrated by my inability to do more. But as all unfolded, I realized how well our people—our community—were handling matters. With each conversation I heard the compassion and professionalism of everyone.  It is in a crisis that we see our true sense of community. From all I can glean from this distance the UW community is rallying around those in need.

In the coming days and weeks, we will have time to assess what more we can do for our people, but for this moment from a very long distance, I am glad we have a university of so many strong, compassionate professionals and friends.

My thoughts are with Rebecca Griego and her loved ones, and I am very anxious to fly out this evening.

Perhaps the most fun I have when traveling for the University is in conversation with alumni and visiting faculty. Across India I have chatted with proud Huskies from the class of ’59 to the class of ’99 and Indian faculty who have worked on our campuses within the past few months or 25 years ago. They are all very pleased to hear the latest news from the UW and share their own stories with obvious pride and pleasure. Just as it is for American students, their time spent at the UW transformed their lives and opened a new world of opportunities to them.Â

To a person, they love Seattle and the Northwest and hope for return visits. Many maintain the friendships made there. The business connections with Washington are robust, to say the least. The great influence of international connections is on full display here in India.

It is inspiring to see the impact of our university on the other side of the planet. To learn about the successes of our alumni as leaders in business and in their communities is great fun. And to hear the respect Indian faculty have for the UW and our faculty they have worked with is doubly so. It’s always great to be a Husky.

No Fault Insurance – Mumbai Style

India inherited many things from the British. One of them is a system of governance driven by federal and state bureaucracies. But if the British brought bureaucracy to the subcontinent, it was the Indians who raised it to an entirely different level of complexity.

This also applies to the court systems, which I have been told are horribly slow and ponderous. Indeed, they are so convoluted that day-to-day issues that would wind up in a U.S. courtroom simply will not be taken to the judicial system.

So how does one deal with such matters?  Creative, negotiated settlements seem to be the rule of the day. In conversations with a group of UW alumni, I was told of how fender-benders in Mumbai are handled.

When an accident occurs, the participants simply get out of their vehicles and settle the matter right there on the street, exchanging cash or other consideration rather than insurance cards and lawyers’ phone numbers. Seeing as how this is the world’s biggest democracy, all nearby observers typically join in the “negotiations,” offering whatever opinions they have, usually at full voice. The result is a loud, sometimes big, roadblock until the matter is resolved to something resembling mutual agreement (or at least until someone gives in).

Hearing these tales, I thought perhaps my Indian hosts were exaggerating a little to impress their gullible guest. But as we were driving later that day, we happened upon a minor accident between a three-wheeled cab and a small car. Just as described, the participants where standing in the street loudly arguing their cases as a crowd gathered round to serve as the impromptu “jury.”  It was a great scene, but I was happy we could pass by.Â

Despite the stunning differences between India and America, we have much in common. As a student of politics, one of the most obvious similarities to me derives from our systems of government—the U.S. being the oldest democracy, India being the largest. We both also work hard to operate these democracies in the midst of significant diversity and pluralism. And like so many things with democracies, the processes are not always neat and tidy.

Here in India a great deal of energy and attention have been devoted to promoting equality of opportunity and pluralism. The latest chapter in this ongoing story unfolded on Thursday, reflecting both the importance of education and the difficulties with affirmative action. It struck many familiar themes to an American educator.

Diversity in India revolves around issues of caste, which are in turn tied to questions of religion, ethnicity, and economic class. But none of these definitions or the social interplay they foster are simple. Indeed, they are very complex, and no one should presume to understand them on such a short visit.  Nonetheless, obvious comparisons to the U.S. are made by Indian officials, and I was asked to share my views by a number of reporters and academics.Â

Education here is largely under the control of federal agencies.  Recognizing the need to provide educational access (as well as access to jobs and many services) to people across castes, the Indian constitution established a system to set aside seats in universities and institutes for those from the lowest castes. Schools have operated under this system of “reservations,” as the are known, for decades, routinely assuring that about a quarter of all admissions were given to these students.  Recently, however, parliament expanded the reservation system to include “other backward castes,” or OBCs as they are labeled. With the addition of these OBCs, the total quota for reserved positions at universities increased to 54 percent of available seats.

Not surprisingly, those not from OBCs objected. In good democratic tradition, opponents took the matter to the courts. On Thursday the Supreme Court ruled the new expansion unconstitutional, throwing the admission process for next year into great uncertainty. Some schools announced Friday that they would implement the new law nonetheless; others debated the matter vigorously, and still others seem quite uncertain how to respond. In other words, it looked just like the U.S. during these debates.

It appears to be a global truth that few subjects can light a fire under people quite as much as who does and who does not have access to education.
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Love and Marriage
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The best part of the trip so far has been the opportunity for informal talks with Indian students. I have delighted in hearing about their plans and aspirations, the role an American education might play in their lives, and the obvious pride they have for India’s growing prosperity. They sound much like our students in so many ways.

But when the talk turns to social relations, particularly dating and romance, comparisons with American students flies out the window. At a dinner with current students and recent graduates, each person at my table expressed not only an understanding of why arranged marriages work in India, but also a clear preference that this be the case. As one engaging young man (bound next fall to a prominent MBA program in the U.S.) put it, “I don’t have time to find a wife. My parents can do it better.”  Now, it has been a while since I heard that from an American student.

Curiosity aroused, I asked a number of others. All agreed. I was even regaled with the story of a young woman who received a Fulbright Fellowship to study in America. She was thrilled at the prospect, but was also told by her parents that she would not be allowed to go unless she was married before she left—only four months later.

She and her family agreed, so the hunt was on. In August she was introduced to a man the brothers thought suitable. They married in October, and she headed for the U.S. while her husband waited in India. All worked out perfectly and happily.

But here is an interesting flip-side to these conversations. When Indian students who had studied in the U.S. were asked what most surprised them, they repeatedly pointed to the American families they met. In every case, they were amazed to find that American families were loving and caring toward one other. The images portrayed by TV and movies had convinced all of them that the U.S. was home to completely dysfunctional and broken homes.

Last night I saw an ad on Indian TV for the movie Little Miss Sunshine. I loved the film, but certainly understand how those unfamiliar with our sense of humor would get the wrong message. Adding to the image, of course, are those cultural ambassadors whose scandals are reported in the gossip magazines. It’s always good to go abroad every so often and look back at your country from a different vantage point. Likewise, it’s certainly good to have Indians come to us and meet the real America.

The first half of my visit to India is part of a formal diplomatic mission led by Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs Karen Hughes. I am joined by the chancellor of North Carolina State University and the presidents of Baylor University, Kalamazoo College, Johnson and Wales University, and Oakton Community College, so we represent the diversity of American higher education. Our purpose is to further relationships between the people of the U.S. and India by encouraging student and faculty exchanges and identifying opportunities for collaboration on issues of mutual interest.

I am very pleased that the State Department has recognized the virtues of “soft power” that come with advancing the common cause of education and understanding. For my part, I’m pleased to represent the UW and proud of the obvious respect our Indian hosts have for our university. I’m equally glad to be part of an American delegation that promotes mutual respect and cooperation.
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Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs Karen P. Hughes (third from right) leads a delegation of U.S. college and university presidents to Mumbai and New Delhi. UW President Mark Emmert is on the far right. State Department photo.

The Taj Mahal and Mass Transit

Tuesday was an official holiday in India, so our delegation had a chance to see some Indian countryside. We took the train from New Delhi to Agra and rode back by bus. In both directions, we learned new definitions of “mass transit.” The trains are full, reasonably efficient, and sort of timely. But the highway is where we saw utterly amazing sights.

Because of Hindu custom, I had expected animals in unusual places, but the abundance of cattle and dogs on the roads is staggering. In addition, cars, motor bikes, trucks and buses—all honking at each other—slalom around ox carts and the occasional camel cart with amazing casualness. And then there are the three-wheeled gas carts and taxis. Half the size of a Volkswagen bug, these are the mini-SUVs of India. They are everywhere hauling everything. We are having great fun counting heads of passengers in, on, and clinging to them. Eighteen people is the record so far. In India it seems all lanes are HOV lanes.

The point of our trip was to visit the Taj Mahal with our hosts. We have all seen the photos and travelogues of this great landmark. But this is one of those sights where photos simply don’t do it justice. It is truly astounding in its scale and grandeur. Well worth the five hours of bus travel.

I love music—all kinds of music. So I have been delighted by the absolutely wonderful sounds and cadences of urban India. The fusion of Eastern and Western, ancient and contemporary, classical and pop is unlike anything I have heard. Ravi Shankar on steroids comes to mind. And music is everywhere. Even the constant toots and blasts of car horns in the notorious (and deservedly so) Mumbai traffic seems to fit in. Great sounds.

I now have a better sense of why Bollywood movies are so immensely popular. They fit the pace, the rhythms, even the melodrama of Mumbai. One factoid puts the bustle and scurry into perspective: Seven million people ride the train into Mumbai daily. Think of moving all of greater Chicago by train each morning and evening. New York is actually calming compared to the constant movement of Mumbai.Â

In a single day one can get only the quickest of snapshots of a city as complex and massive as Mumbai. But it is quite a snapshot. And it has a great soundtrack.

Education: The Holy Grail

In our first day of meetings, we joined Indian university presidents, business leaders, and some government officials for general discussions about the state of education here. I was quite taken by public opinion poll data presented to us. When asked to rank priorities, Indians listed food first and education second. Behind education came housing, health, and the environment. They are hungry indeed for educational opportunities. I heard stories of families that make the decision to skip one meal a day to afford education for their children.

The first impression one gets is of a society that rightly sees education as the great equalizer and the ladder out of poverty. Their Horatio Alger stories all begin with education. Millions of people live on the streets of Mumbai. They have come for a chance at a job and a chance at education. That is the story of the president of the University of Pune. He grew up on the streets, was given a chance to start school, and years later, with a PhD from Indiana University, he now leads one of India’s prominent universities.

Paradoxically, for a nation that understands the transforming impact of education, India has staggering educational needs and under-investment. In the state of Washington, we are wrestling with the question of whether to add a new campus in Snohomish County. In India they estimate that they need 1,500 new universities and colleges. K-12 education is also in very short supply, especially in the rural areas. Teachers, books, and buildings are all scarce. The only thing in abundance is potential students.