John DiBiaggio, president of Tufts for the last eight years, announced yesterday that he will resign his post by June 2002. At 68 years of age, Tufts' 11th president does not plan to retire and said he might depart sooner if University trustees identify a suitable replacement.
DiBiaggio sounded hoarse but characteristically charming as he fielded the deluge of press inquiries that followed the unexpected statement. The outgoing executive made sure to note the major accomplishments of his tenure, which range from staggering increases in applicants and the endowment to the establishment of the University College of Citizenship and Public Service (UCCPS), a pet project that he calls his "legacy."
DiBiaggio inherited a financially-strapped University, and by all accounts, he has transformed Tufts' finances and infrastructure. The "Tufts Tomorrow" campaign helped triple the University endowment and will have raised over $600 million by 2002. DiBiaggio presided over the most generous gift in University history - a $20 million donation from engineer and businessman Bernard Gordan - and a five-fold increase in endowed chairs since 1992.
"When you achieve the objectives you set out to achieve and you begin to see that your goals are going to be met, you make a decision," DiBiaggio said. "I'd rather leave when I'm at the top of my game."
In eight years, almost non-stop construction brought six new buildings to the Grafton campus, in addition to planting the seeds for the Gantcher Center, Dowling hall, and the planned psychology and music buildings to further crowd Tufts' hilly swath of Medford/Somerville real estate.
"The fiscal strength is greater now than it was eight years ago when he came," said Provost Sol Gittleman, one of DiBiaggio's closest coworkers and friends. "We were in a period of such enormous expansion, and he brought focus and direction."
If DiBiaggio remains until 2002, which he called his absolute final deadline, he will have spent a decade at Tufts since leaving behind the presidency of Michigan State. Although a ten-year tenure is above average in modern academia, it would be a full six years shorter than that of his predecessor, former President Jean Mayer.
DiBiaggio has spent a third of his life as a college president. Asked if he would consider filling the vacancy at nearby Harvard or aother campus, DiBiaggio said he will not consider taking a collegiate presidency position. "Where are you going to find a place quite like this," he asked. "I couldn't imagine being at another university that would be as desirable as this one."
Gittleman, who was here when Tufts hired DiBiaggio, said he was not surprised by the announcement. "When John came, he told me it would be a ten-year ride," he said. "I told the trustees at a meeting three to four years ago that we would soon have to conduct another presidential search."
To the end, DiBiaggio remained enamored of Boston and the green, suburban campus that lured him from Michigan to Medford. A dentist by training, DiBiaggio held the top administrative position at the University of Connecticut and Michigan State University, both large, public institutions. For DiBiaggio, the transition to a mid-sized, private school was long awaited. "Tufts is a much better environment for learning. Because of the size of the place there can be much more personal contact," he said.
DiBiaggio's resignation comes at a low point for Tufts in the rankings-conscious academic world. After a year at number 23 on the US News and World Report chart, Tufts steadily declined, finding itself ranked 29th for two straight years.
To Gittleman, anyone who blames DiBiaggio for the rankings situation has a "very short memory" of Tufts' history. "We were never in the top 30 before 1993," he said.
Lonnie Norris, dean of Tufts' School of Dentistry, thanked DiBiaggio for bringing Tufts much-deserved prestige. "We've always been a really good university, but I think the recognition from the rankings has brought even more recognition to the school's academic achievements," he said.
"I am sad," said Norris, who has been at Tufts for 20 years. "I know that the board of trustees will do a good job in selecting a new president, but as we get used to working with someone who has been very good and very successful, it makes us all a little anxious about the direction we'll go in the future."
DiBiaggio's work on public service ("students should graduate from Tufts with a commitment to the well being of others") landed Tufts in the National section of The New York Times and bolstered DiBiaggio's already prominent reputation.
The founding of the UCCPS last year marked the culmination of years of lobbying and coordination that began at DiBiaggio's first meeting with Tufts' trustees. At the time, DiBiaggio proposed the creation of a college dedicated to injecting career-minded students with a social conscience. The idea yielded a class taught by DiBiaggio, a fully-staffed college, and a $10 million donation from eBay founder Pierre Omidyar.
"The unique character here is that his new college will allow [citizenship] to become embedded into education, rather than being viewed as volunteerism," said Mel Bernstein, vice president of arts, sciences, and technology.
And, as students and faculty acclimate themselves to news of his resignation, DiBiaggio said he and his trademark dogs have a lot of work ahead.
"I still have time to accomplish some things I set out to accomplish. The institution is in very good health and it can only continue to enhance its standing," he said. "This has been a wonderful, wonderful experience for me. I love this place, and the dogs have enjoyed it too."
Will Kinlaw contributed to this article.
