As announced last fall, Michael J. Petrilli will be succeeding Chester E. Finn, Jr. as president of the Fordham Institute come August. Here’s an update on the transition.
Big changes lie ahead for Fordham when Mike Petrilli finally gains control of the place in August. “I promised you change you can believe in,” he reminded the board, which in a close contest elected him rather than Arne Duncan to take charge once Checker (at long last) surrenders the reins that he has gripped so tightly for almost two decades. “And change is what you’ll see.”
In a sharp shift away from Fordham’s tattered old agenda of standards and choice, Petrilli has indicated that the Institute’s top research priorities will be the many benefits of class-size reduction, open classrooms, and Waldorf-style handicrafts, particularly in relation to boosting children’s inner peace.
The organization’s symbol will shift from a “gadfly” to a seventeen-year-locust, in recognition of how long the place slumbered during Finn’s tenure. Research reports will be tweeted 140 characters at a time. And op-eds will be replaced with frequent dance videos (stay tuned for our “Pathways Out of Poverty: Bootstrap Beats”!).
Furthermore, expect Fordham’s age-old obsession with frostbitten Ohio to be revisited, with Petrilli instead shifting his focus to Hawaii and the close connection between surfing and academic achievement. In fact, the new president had nearly solidified plans to move the Fordham offices to the Aloha State until Finn decided that Hawaii would be a nice place from which to work as president emeritus—after which the plans were promptly scrapped.
New funders are expected to include the Bolshoi Ballet, George Soros, GreenPeace, CrowdCube, and the Barbers and Beauticians’ Association.
As for the Fordham board itself, Petrilli isn’t tipping his hand but close observers of the organization understand that he’s been having quiet conversations with Anthony Cody, Randi Weingarten, and Bernie Sanders about replacing several stick-in-the-muds on the board, as well as pleading with Diane Ravitch to rejoin the organization that would be hers today if Finn hadn’t wrested control from her not so many years back.
Stay informed about Fordham’s transition by following @TheNewFordham or signing up for regular email updates here.