Former NASA administrator Daniel S. Goldin was to take office on Saturday Nov. 1., but the executive committee of the board of trustees questioned his nomination and on Friday, Oct. 24 gave a vote of no confidence. A week later, the entire 45-member board convened to officially vote Goldin out of office prior to his first official day.
According to The Times, the exact reason for the board's change of heart is still unclear. Many believe it was due to Goldin's treatment of John Silber, former president and resigning chancellor. The committee may have become disenchanted with Goldin because they thought he had slighted Silber, a Kant scholar, who has been an almost mythic figure in his 33-year tenure at Boston University, according to The Times. The Times reported that "[t]he trustees had heard reports that Goldin had hired a psychiatrist to evaluate Silber, apparently in an effort to sideline him."
"The executive committee cited mainly his temperament [as explanation]," said Allison Koski from BU's public relations office.
The Times also reported that "in recent weeks, as [Goldin] began laying out his plans for the university, the board saw the volatile side of his temperament and began to have serious second thoughts."
Members of the board of trustees were worried about Goldin's plans to fire many of the current administrators. The Times also reported that a trustee was concerned about Goldin's plans to spend a considerable amount of time at his new house in Malibu, Calif.
Goldin's $750,000 annual salary and five-year contract would have been among the most lucrative in all of academia, reported The Times. His contract included a $1 million retirement plan, generous life insurance, a furnished house with a staff, a car and a driver.
The deal also included unusual perks such as first-class travel for both him and his wife and $10,000 per year worth of financial-planning advice.
The Times also reported that BU paid Goldin a sum of $1.8 million to walk away from the job before he had officially started.
The school and Goldin released a statement on the BU website that reads: "Boston University and Daniel S. Goldin have resolved their difference[.] Mr. Goldin will not become the President of Boston University."
Aram Chobanian, dean of BU's medical school and world-renowned cardiologist, will serve as the interim president. BU has yet to indicate when a new president will be selected.