Daniel Goldin Presidency of Boston University - Selection Process

Selection Process

According to sources the selection process was hurried for a number of reasons. Most notably, Silber had an intense desire to retire permanently, and his critics on the Board of Trustees (led by Jeffrey Katzenberg) similarly wanted to see his influence within the university diminished or eliminated altogether. This emphasis on expeditiousness, combined with the highly unusual presence of Silber in candidate interviews (and on the selection committee in general) caused some Trustees to feel they were not at liberty to voice their concerns.

This led to sloppiness in the interviews and contract negotiations. After only one interview, Goldin was catapulted to the top of the committee’s list, due mostly to the personal backing of Silber. Goldin remained the favorite even after he made demands during contract negotiations that would have likely disqualified him from consideration in more ideal circumstances. Among these was his desire to spend much of his time in Malibu, California, where his wife would be living; according to a source Goldin "didn't think he had to be on campus every weekend to be effective." The Trustees agreed to this, and even offered to subsidize this travel with first class airfare.

Tolerance of such requests was reinforced by the hope that Goldin would use his former association with NASA to draw in more research funding and grants.

Despite some Trustees’ uneasiness over offering Goldin the position, enough votes existed to do so. As a sign of support, the Chairman of the Board requested that the vote be unanimous. The Trustees capitulated, unanimously deciding in favor of extending Goldin the job offer.