Presidential flexibility
There can't possibly be any one person in the
world who can fulfill all of the demands made upon
the office of the President of the United States. Thus
each president has had his own way or organizing a
staff around him in an advisory capacity to assist with
the job.
The presidency holds ultimate and final
responsibility for any direction this country takes
during the four-year term of office. In certain areas
the President has more responsibility than authority.
In others the reverse is true.
The tremendously accelerated pace of society
demands of the President a flexibility unmatched in
the business world. As a managerial employe of the
country, this calls for a response to new problems
with new solutions. That's easy.
The hardest chore today's President faces is
finding new solutions for old problems. This requires
not only managerial dexterity, but a brand of
futuristic creativity. Foresight is a necessity.
; Although foresight is a handy tool in prophesizing
one's way into the future successfully, more than that
is needed. The courage to face the powers that be and
say, "We were wrong, let's try something altogether
new," would be a most valuable asset.
The ultimate that must be experienced by civil
servants in the future is the advent of the
"ad-hocracy," as the author of Future Shock, Alvin
Toffler writes. Systems will be temporary, and the
President must be the most flexible person in the
structure in order to facilitate meaningful and
directed change.
In November of this year it will be up to the
people to choose a person to fill this role.
Bureaucracy must give way to ad-hocracy. New
policy defined in historical terms need no longer
exist. Rigidity in governmental doctrine must yield to
flexibility as new knowledge is gained. If necessary,
the President must himself shape the legislative mold
as never before.
In this age of reason, there may be a serious
candidate who reasons as one never has before. If
there is, then that person deserves to be the next
President of the United States.
Barry Pilger
opinion
by Cheryl Long
Cheryl Long, a former graduate assistant in the
Centennial Education Program, is a member of
University Friends of the Arts.
A recent Daily Nebraskan editorial suggested lack
of support for the Weekend with Music Festival
would seriously jeopardize the continuation of such
programs. Interest in this year's Festival failed to
match last year's sell-out. One reason ticket sales
failed is many students and faculty would have
difficulty in attending six concerts in one weekend.
This is very time-consuming and financially
prohibitive, even for those eager to participate.
In view of such objections, why continue the
weekend series format? One reason is that the festival
was an expansion of the traditional Weekend with
Music which received administrative support in the
past. A change to an extended series or individual
concerts might cause this support to be withdrawn. If
this happens, then it would seem there clearly is not
sufficient administrative support for what should be a
priority at any major university the appearance of
nationally-known artists on the campus.
The important role of the arts in student's
education is seldom questioned. Yet the arts have
clearly been denied priority status at UNL
comparable to that given by other Big Eight
universities. Iowa State supports a wide variety of
programs of very high quality, including a week-long
appearance of a major symphony orchestra and guest
soloists. One university in Kansas reportedly sells
theater tickets almost as quickly as they go on sale.
Last week's editorial also suggested that if students
failed to take advantage of the festival, that indicated
their minds were "cultural wastelands." This seems to
be a common accusation which serves only to
intimidate those lacking knowledge of the arts. Such
an accusation assumes students consciously choose
"not to participate. But for many it would be more
accurate to assert that they simply lack an awareness
of what it is they're missing. They have never
experienced the excitement or emotion of classical
music.
Many students come to the University having
never heard a symphony orchestra, seen a
professional theater production or been inside an art
gallery. Many of them leave the same way.
While it should not be expected that all students
will develop a lasting love for the arts, there are many
for whom the arts could become important. The
University's responsibilities extend beyond providing
sound programs for the training of musicians, actors,
artists, poets and dancers. It must also provide
courses and programs designed to show even the most
unknowledgeable student what the arts have to offer
him or her.
The recent visit of Igor Kipnis could serve as a
model for the type, of programs which can
successfully meet this responsibility. Kipnis, a
harpsichordist, spent three days on the campus,
talking and performing informally in dormitories and
classrooms.
Many artists are eager to participate in such
informal programs, but this is virtually impossible
within the weekend series format.
Few would have thought hundreds of UNL
students would crowd into the Union ballroom on a
Friday night to hear a harpsichord concert which
included works by Bach, Scarlatti and Haydn. But,
because they had seen Kipnis in their dorms and had
a chance to sample what his music had to offer,
students came to the concert and responded to the
music with two standing ovations.
Students' minds are not cultural wastelands; they
can and do find the arts exciting. But undiscovered
interests are often difficult to reach.
In addition to the need for more programs similar
to Kipnis', more support must be given to projects
which include direct student participation in the
creative arts like proposals for the production of
original student plays and sculpture. The recently
formed Friends of Music Theater has the potential to
achieve some of these goals if only the initial support
and cooperation they have received continues to be
available.
The University Friends of the Arts, another group
new to the campus this year, will be submitting a
1 11: e . i . : c rr- i 1
prupusai tailing iur me creation 01 an omciai
University Arts Council. The Council's functions
would include giving financial support for arts
projects.proposed by students and faculty.
Such a council could also provide the leadership
and coordination so badly needed. At the present
time, there seems to be little communication between
various groups and departments involved in the arts.
It is generally known that President Vamer is
interested in the arts, and occasionally rumors of a
visiting ballet company, a string quartet-in-residence,
or the appointment of some sort of cultural affairs
official have been traced to his office.
Certainly such efforts on the part of the president
are welcome, but their success would seem in part to
depend on the involvement of and consultation with
the appropriate campus groups and individuals, even
during the early planning stages.
There are many individuals and groups at UNL
who have managed to overcome the problems
discussed above, and the results are very
encouraging.' The opera program has provided several
outstanding performances this year, and promises
more of the same. Student participation in lab plays
and Free Theatre productions is welcomed. All sorts
of film programs and the summer Repertory Theater
continue to thrive. Some excellent work is appearing
in the student and faculty art shows. Many of the free
faculty and student recitals at Kimball Recital Hall
have been excellent this year. The Union has created
a new Musical Fine Arts Committee and has been
asked to substantially increase its Drama Committee
budget. A new course entitled 'The Arts Today" is
scheduled for next spring, and a new University
organization known as the Friends of the Arts is
working to make the arts more available to students.
The arts can make a significant contribution to the
quality of one's life. With the potential exemplified in
the activities listed above and the appropriate action
by faculty and administrators, this contribution will
become a reality for many more UNL students.
We would like to encourage public discussion of
what role the arts should play at the University and
how that role can best be fulfilled.
These questions will be discussed at the next
meeting of the University Friends of the Arts, 8 p.m.
Thursday in the Union. Anyone may attend.
PAGE 4
THE DAILY NEBRASKAN
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 28, 1972
