|
I was then and am still
persuaded that by taking certain strategic steps AUP can remain
on the path to becoming a top-notch institution with a
preeminent educational, intellectual and societal presence in
France.
During the six academic
years of my tenure, many bold initiatives were taken to begin to
transform AUP.
The 2003 Advancement of
Scholarship initiative introduced graduate education, encouraged
more research by the University's faculty, spurred the
sponsorship of superlative intellectual seminars, conferences
and art exhibitions, launched a series of working papers
presented by visiting scholars, and established the Lloyd
DeLamater Visiting Professorship and Lecture Series in honor of
AUP's visionary Founding President.
The core business of a
University is educational and intellectual, and by raising our
academic and intellectual profile AUP became more active within
European and international academic circles. We started the
process of putting AUP on the map of scholarship and in the
paysage of the French intelligentsia.
In 2004, the proposal
"From College to University" addressed the focal issue that in
order for AUP to become a reputed actor in the global higher
education scenario it had to evolve in terms of its internal
constraints and free itself from historical roadblocks. Today
more faculty members are hired from international searches, new
technology is incorporated in the teaching process, and there is
confidence in partnering with top academic institutions. In
addition, the Bologna process signaled a changing university
environment in Europe to which our institution was already
closely aligned, and initiated our establishment of clear
governance principles to help AUP be more responsive to the
opportunities presented in the global academic market.
While the need to
improve the status of the University's infrastructure was
already recognized in 2002, the need for a new campus became
feasible by 2005. After many potential relocation opportunities
were assessed, the Ile Seguin in Boulogne-Billancourt became the
optimal choice for AUP. The project, conceived by architect
Jean-Paul Viguier, features two plots: an academic building and
a student dormitory, for a total of 21,500 square meters.
At the same time, the
need to articulate a strong academic partnership with a leading
research university to facilitate the goal of strengthening
AUP's position as an outstanding cosmopolitan academic platform
in France became increasingly apparent. In Spring 2006, AUP
signed a Memorandum of Understanding with New York University to
enhance the exchange of students and faculty between the two
institutions as well as to consider the possibility of AUP
becoming a free standing institution within the NYU system, with
the clear mandate of maintaining the intrinsic characteristics
of our institution.
In both initiatives, the
strategy was not about tearing up roots and traditions but about
enabling AUP to grow in a positive direction in what is an ever
more competitive global higher education setting.
Alumni relations and
fundraising were also among top priorities during my tenure.
Since 2002, one key strategy has been to reconstitute alumni
hubs throughout the world. I have traveled to more than twenty
cities to present AUP's new initiatives, while receiving
valuable advice and financial support from our extremely
committed alumni. The Alumni and Development Office has done an
impressive job in consolidating our annual fund and capital
gifts, and as of today we have increased sixfold the amount
raised since the late nineties. I have been blessed during my
tenure by numerous exceptionally generous benefactors and
foundations, and will always be more than thankful for what they
have done, and hope they will do, for the future of this
institution.
A balancing act for a
University President between initiatives that have an immediate
contemporaneous effect and those that will impact a sustainable
future is among the most difficult tasks in leadership. Both are
indispensable.
With the help and effort
of so many of you, we have opened new horizons for AUP. I firmly
believe that we are at a decisive moment that Jorge Luis Borges
described as the "garden of forging paths." At each branching
there are mutually exclusive alternatives. My best and honest
inclination has been to take the path towards building an
intellectually ambitious and visible institution which can
become a strong cosmopolitan academic platform in Europe. I
believe the horizon is clear, though the endeavor has not been,
and will never be, easy.
While it is time for new
leadership to choose the next path, I will always deeply
treasure the support and friendship of my close collaborators,
colleagues and beloved staff and students at The American
University of Paris.
It is time for me to
return to my professional and scholarly preoccupations in
economics, economic history and international economic
policymaking. I am immensely grateful to all of you for having
given me the opportunity to serve as President of such a vibrant
and promising University. Together I believe we have given AUP
new direction, new impetus and an even brighter future.
With all my affection,
un abrazo para todos,
|
