Provost going back to her passions
By Shalini Bhargava
Staff writer
When Condoleezza Rice speaks of her experience as a Soviet specialist at the end of the
Cold War, her eyes light up. Six years in the University's second-highest administrative
position has kept her away from the policy arena, but now the retiring University Provost is
returning to her passion, international politics.
In an interview last month, Rice, who will step down in June, explained her plans for the
coming years, which include a few years of "practical work" in international politics
followed by a return to teaching as a Stanford professor of political science.
Rice said she will examine new political economic circumstances in her work in the private
sector. "States are going to make a transition to a place in the international economy," she
said.
Rice's decision to step down was prompted by a desire to return to teaching.
"About a year ago, I realized that my position was far away from my work and my field. I
had to decide whether to continue in higher education administration or international
politics. Last summer I made a firm decision that this was the year to step down," she said.
The best part of the job, Rice said, was teaching and advising students.
"I [strive to maintain] contact with students as students," Rice said.
In the spirit of promoting faculty-student interaction at an early stage in each student's
experience, Rice has supported programs such as Stanford Introductory Studies and
Sophomore College, which aim at teaming students with teachers in a small-group setting.
"The results, I believe, are that Stanford offers an undergraduate education that is second to
none . . . . We don't wait for students to declare their major to become part of the research
enterprise," she said.
Rice said the part of her job she least enjoyed was the process of cutting the budget. When
Rice took over the helm in 1993, the University "was not in budget equilibrium - we were
spending more than we had. My first goal in entering was to fix that problem," she said.
After $17 million in cuts and $3 million in new revenue over two years, the budget was
balanced.
"Life is full of trade-offs, but by and large, our decisions have been good . . . . We're in a
better financial position. We were able to make a difference when the graduate student
housing problem [surfaced] last spring. We really came through so that graduate students
could have a place to live in this high-cost area," she said.
In retiring from her duties as Provost, Rice will return to her specialty, Eastern European
politics. Rice, who joined Stanford's political science department in 1981, has written
several books on the former Soviet Union and German unification.
From 1989 through March 1991, Rice served in the Bush Administration as Director, and
then Senior Director, of Soviet and East European Affairs in the National Security Council.
Asked whether she has ruled out returning to government service in the future, Rice was
ambivalent.
"It is a rare opportunity to be a Soviet specialist at the end of the Cold War. Poland was
liberated, Germany unified, there was no time for bureaucratic infighting. I'm circumspect
about how soon to try it again."
"Working in the government is a very good experience. I haven't ruled it out, but I'm not
eager to return to [it]. I had an unusually good experience. I worked under a president I had
a lot of faith in, and I adored my boss, [National Security Advisor] Brent Scowcroft."
Rice dismissed rumors that she will advise Texas Governor George W. Bush in a possible
bid for the presidency.
"People keep putting two and two together and getting 264," she said, adding that Bush,
who is a close friend, has yet to officially declare his candidacy.
In a departure from strict Republican ideology, Rice expressed support for affirmative
action.
"I support affirmative action in higher education. It makes the student body and the
administration more integrated. It's accelerating the integration of all strata of society . . .
[so] we don't have to wait 100 years. I think it has done very, very well," she said.
Rice, however, cautioned against excess race consciousness.
"I find that those who are too concerned with minority students' particular experiences
exhibit 'reverse racism,'" Rice said. "It is equally bad to be patronized as to be disliked. In
East Palo Alto, people patronize these kids."
Rice is a Founding Board Member of the Center for a New Generation, an educational
support fund for schools in East Palo Alto and Menlo Park.
"I was taught to blast through barriers. What's the alternative? Decrying the barriers? I tend
to think that societies move largely through the force of individuals breaking barriers," she
said.
"I know that the situation in the U.S. is better [than in most of the world] given the
extraordinary range of ethnicities at approximating a multi-ethnic democracy. It doesn't
happen overnight."
In closing advice to students, Rice emphasized the range of opportunities available at
Stanford.
"This is such an extraordinary place. I have students who return after a few years of
working and they say, 'I wish I had known what an amazing opportunities I had.'
Experience this place day by day," Rice said.
"You have your lifetime to figure out which career to embark on. Find out what you're
passionate about and find a way to synthesize your interests and your talents, you will have
achieved what you should have in college," she said.
Rice will remain at her Stanford home during her leave of absence.
"The football team is going to be good next year, and I don't want to miss it," she quipped.
http://daily.stanford.org/daily98-99/1-4-1999/news/NEWinterview04.html
Copyright © 1999
The Stanford Daily
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