To Brodhead, the university’s handling of the financial downturn, which avoided massive layoffs, “was Duke at its best.” dled the financial crisis. “Dick rolled up his sleeves and led the administration, faculty, and staff in making smart cost cuts. But more impressive was his direction to keep spending on the really strategically important initiatives. Probably most interesting was his decision to actively recruit top-notch faculty during a time when most others were cutting back. I think it’s pretty clear that Duke benefited greatly from that.” While other universities put themselves through wrenching layoffs, sometimes into the hundreds, Duke’s workforce reductions were handled almost all through attrition or buyouts. For two years the university didn’t award any across-the-board raises, though it did eventually offer $1,000 to lower-paid employees. “I’ve always felt the way we handled the downturn was Duke
at its best,” Brodhead says. “The money we saved by the targeted workforce reduction and by the non-raises meant we didn’t have massive layoffs. I would go to a Q&A session with employees, and I would explain that because we didn’t have raises, 200 or 400 colleagues had jobs now who otherwise would have lost them. You could see that people were proud of themselves—proud to have made a sacrifice. Of course, universities are very decentralized, so every dean had to work on the problem for his or her own school and faculty. Many schools figured out that besides cutting things, there are other ways to deal with a downturn.” The crisis with the harshest resonance came in 2006, with false rape accusations directed at members of the lacrosse team. The case became media fodder for months, until the prosecution, led by a district attorney up for re-election (and later disbarred), was found to be without merit and the players were vindicated. David Cutcliffe was On his first meeting with Brodhead: He immediately The issue, in Brodhead’s view, was nevnamed Duke’s twenty-first put me at ease. He is a great listener. When you’re er the strength or weakness of Duke’s rehead football coach in sitting with him, the thing you notice the most is sponse; it was the criminal-justice system December 2007: that 100 percent of his attention is placed on the spinning out of control. “If you had had conversation. He immediately talked about what he any normal district attorney, that case did know about sports and football, and what he didn’t know. What he did know would have dissolved.” Despite the comwere things that mattered to him because they related to the mission and integmon perception at the time, he says, the rity of the university. He was talking my language; I knew I had a partner. suspension of the accused players was a On his relationship with Brodhead: The relationship after I was hired might be campus-safety-related suspension that evdifferent from what people would imagine. I would often sit in his library in his ery university practices. Likewise, he says, home. It was in the offseason, so there would be a fire—and he showed me a new way to build a fire, which I was impressed with. We would talk about his books the decision that the team wouldn’t play and teaching techniques. I don’t think people see football coaches as teachers, for the rest of the season wasn’t punitive, but that’s what we are. What I saw in him was that as the president of Duke, he but rather a response to growing safety was still a teacher. That reinforced for me that as a head football coach, I was a concerns. “It was really just a recognition teacher first. The reason we both have the jobs we do is because we’re commitof the fact that the world had gone crazy, ted to the students. and you could not play any normal laI’m going to miss his surprise walks. We practice right by his residence; he will crosse game under those circumstances.” walk through that gate with that smile on his face, say, “Hello, friend,” and put his “It will always be part of our history,” hand out. Brodhead says. “But at the same time, On Brodhead as a leader: His greatest leadership quality is being able to listen. what did it show? Did it reveal some horHe truly has a sympathetic ear to an opinion that may be far from his. At the rible thing that continues to be true? I same time, he can gracefully defuse things. He has done that multiple times in his tenure at Duke. He also recognizes that a leader doesn’t have to be loud or stern would deny that vehemently. It did help to be forceful. I think his style is a quiet but very, very strong leadership. us understand that there was a separateDUKE MAGAZINE
WINTER 2016
31