NYU’s Daily Student Newspaper
WASHINGTON SQUARE NEWS Vol. 42, No. 49
nyunews.com
THURSDAY, MAY 1, 2014
Sexton opens up about budget, global network, representation and love of teaching. By NICOLE BROWN
SEXTON SITS DOWN WITH WSN FELIPE DE LA HOZ/WSN
On a Friday morning around 10:30 a.m., I attended a funeral with NYU President John Sexton. Sexton and I had previously agreed to sit down in his office for an interview on the same Friday. It was not until the day before that I found out I would be going to the funeral for one of Sexton’s friends instead. The interview began in his office on the 12th floor of Bobst Library and continued in a Public Safety van, which drove us to and from the funeral home on Madison Avenue and 81st Street. As we rode in the van with Big Mike, the Public Safety officer who typically drives Sexton, we had a conversation about some of NYU’s most discussed issues. “A huge change is happening in higher education,” Sexton said. “We’re going through a process of defining how decision-making happens at a university.” Sexton recognized that NYU and other universities across the country are struggling with this change. This past year, Sexton, who will serve as president until 2016, has become a polarizing figure, facing varying levels of discontent from both faculty and students. Faculty representation, student financial aid, expansion, the quality of education across the Global Network University, labor rights and student wellness are among the points of contention. Sexton said while he is committed to ensuring that everyone in the university has a voice, he has learned that not everyone can be pleased at a diverse institution and not all suggestions can become realities. He said the university is working to establish better ways for members of the NYU community to express their views, citing the recent University Senate decision to give contract
SEXTON continued on PG. 3