Opinion & Editorial

Some College Presidents Could Use An Education…in Leadership

By John Palmer – April 30, 2024

In the face of debilitating and violent college protests, a number of university presidents are failing at crisis leadership. The problem is some of their breed view collegiality as the end state to their governance rather than a byproduct of good leadership. 

Stipulation: This commentary does not seek to weigh the merits of the dueling interests of October 7th, Hamas, Israel, Palestine, or Gaza. Certainly, all have opinions in these matters, but to disclose them would distract from the treatise that follows.

In matters of senior and pinnacle leadership, the book “From Bluegrass to Blue Water -  Lessons in Farm Philosophy and Navy Leadership” is instructive. Chapter 10 is entitled Command, and it addresses lessons that align well with presidents at institutions of higher learning.  The first lesson in the chapter is: Nothing Sharpens One’s Decision Making Like Holding the Final Decision.  This tutorial advises that a person in charge has to look beyond the comforts of collegiality and sometimes act to preserve good order and discipline.  In other words, a commanding officer, admiral, general, CEO, and yes…even a college president has to have the ability to identify and cut out cancers from within their organization—to preserve the primary mission of the organization.

The most recent cancer to befall some of our celebrated college campuses is the devolution of peaceful protest to lawlessness. Today, we witness semi-permanent encampments and the takeover of buildings that have disrupted or in some cases canceled venerated events that should be occurring at colleges this time of year (e.g., class, study, finals, commencement, job seeking, etc.). For our university presidents who have allowed their respective situations to degrade to the point where only cattle prods, tear gas, pepper spray, and platoons of police will restore order—You have failed.

It does not have to be this way.  Some colleges and universities defused the campus unrest before it took root. Ohio State University is a good example worthy of comparison.  The newly installed president is Vice Admiral (retired) Edward “Ted” Carter—call sign “Slapshot.”  Admiral Carter is on his fourth tour as a pinnacle leader at a college or university (Naval War College, U.S. Naval Academy, University of Nebraska, and now OSU).   More importantly, the current OSU president has in his tool kit nearly four decades of leadership experience in the Navy. Slapshot Carter held the pleasure and burden of command six times to include commander of an aircraft carrier strike group. By comparison, some of Carter’s counterparts at other universities are relatively new arrivals to the challenges of pinnacle/accountable leadership, and it shows.

President Carter refused to yield his campus to anarchy; rather, he restored order, and 41 were arrested in the process.  The primary mission of OSU—specifically the health, comfort, and safety of students and staff as classes are conducted—continues. Carter has received criticism from some students and faculty, but he doesn’t have the latitude to wallow in the collective anonymity of collegiality.  In a letter to the university and community, he stated: “…What occurred on our campus on April 25 was not about limiting free speech. It was an intentional violation of university space rules that exist so that teaching, learning, research, service and patient care can occur on our campuses without interruption….” OSU President Carter is charged with leadership, and he refused to negotiate with activists who would extort his university through lawlessness. He is accountable. He took decisive action.  In short, he did his job. Carter’s cohorts could take a lesson in leadership from the vice admiral.

A message to other university presidents:  I would wager that nowhere in your university catalogs is a class in “obstructive protest” to be found in the list of coursework.  As such, grab the tiller, shift the rudder, find fair winds, and steer your campuses, professors, and most importantly students into safer waters where education can take place as designed.  This is your primary mission. This is your job. Failing to do so may subject some of these presidents to a later admonition in the same chapter of “From Bluegrass to Blue Water…” Specifically: As a pinnacle leader, You are Big Game—Retirement With Honor is a Full Time Job.  Get to work.

About the author:  John Palmer is a native of Lexington, Kentucky and retired rear admiral with 32 years of service in the U.S. Navy.  He is author of the book: “From Bluegrass to Blue Water – Lessons in Farm Philosophy and Navy Leadership” out of Fidelis Publishing in Nashville, Tennessee.  A former CEO, Admiral Palmer is owner of JT Palmer Enterprises, LLC where he serves as an independent consultant, advisory board member, college lecturer, author, and Fox News interview subject matter expert. Mr. Palmer also participates in the management of two family-owned farms in Kentucky. He and his wife make their home in Spartanburg, South Carolina.

- For more info on “From Bluegrass to Blue Water-Lessons in Farm Philosophy and Navy Leadership”- https://www.jtpalmerenterprises.com/authorship

JT Palmer Enterprises, LLC—All rights reserved

Sources:

·      “From Bluegrass to Blue Water – Lessons in Farm Philosophy and Navy Leadership” https://www.amazon.com/Bluegrass-Blue-Water-Philosophy-Leadership/dp/1956454152/ref=sr_1_1?crid=BVVIKUOFOOQV&keywords=from%20bluegrass%20to%20blue%20water&qid=1653522704&sprefix=from%20bluegrass%20to%20blue%20water%2Caps%2C91&sr=8-1  

·      Anti-war protesters dig in as some schools close encampments after reports of antisemitic activity—AP News. https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinian-campus-student-protests-war-2ab919ad849c50c9d177a32c0309bd1e

·      Carter biography https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_E._Carter_Jr.

·    A message from President Carter https://president.osu.edu/story/message-042924

·    Photo: NBC News https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/live-blog/campus-protests-live-updates-students-occupy-columbia-university-rcna149926

“The public, thinking the heavier than normal losses to be a sign of a defective strategy, may clamor for a combat pause for reassessment…precisely at the time we would want to press technological advantages to achieve a hard fought albeit costly victory”

Throughout the thirty-two years I served in the military, I was greeted often with an unsolicited “Thank you for your service” from countless members of the American public.  I would often counter with “Thanks for your support”…or “We can’t do it without you.” My response was not superfluous;  rather, it was (and is) an absolute truth in America’s civilian-controlled military as outlined in the U.S. Constitution. Our armed forces CANNOT function without the support of The People and most directly by way of their elected representatives in the Congress. This is why I have concerns about a lack of Executive and Legislative branch efforts to inform and condition the public about the realities of 21st century, peer-nation combat that might occur—such as a conflict between the U.S. and Peoples Republic of China over the independence of Taiwan.

Three decades of conditioning: Today’s American populace has warfighting expectations and assumptions that are formed from 33 years of modern combat comprised largely of the Gulf War and the Global War on Terrorism (GWOT).  In these efforts, we lost 258 and 7,077 service members respectively.  Specifically, these Gulf War/GWOT assumptions include:

(1) The U.S. can control the commons to - and the spaces surrounding - a potential enemy;

(2) Over an extended period of time, the U.S. can assemble and position the necessary units in a close, but safe proximity to the potential enemy to win in combat at our inclination;

(3) Logistically, the U.S. can prepare for combat by prepositioning the necessary commodities (fuel, ordnance, parts, food, etc.) in or near the combat zone for use by ground, air, and sea services;

(4) The U.S. can elect the time and place for commencement of combat;

(5) The U.S. can minimize friendly casualties by employing overwhelming force, and the U.S and allies can and should minimize collateral damage through smart munitions and forbearance when too many civilians are near legitimate military targets.

Reality:  All five assumptions are invalid in peer-nation warfighting.

Modern Peer-Combat: Historically, the arc of peer-nation combat bends toward total war. For a modern look, let us draw from the recent 60 Minutes interview with Pacific Fleet Commander, Admiral Samuel Paparo.  In today’s prospective peer-fight, the environs to, from, and within the combat zone are contested. The prospective enemy, in this case the Peoples Republic of China, gets a vote; and they might decide the time and place for first combat. The PRC possesses the world’s largest navy bolstered by a formidable land-based missile arsenal to ostensibly push U.S. maritime forces out of range of mainland Asia and Taiwan. The U.S. territory of Guam would be under direct missile threat from mainland China. A “plausible” estimation for friendly maritime combat losses in a winning endeavor was articulated as 20 ships including two aircraft carriers. One might presume that a contested environment means that the ability to retrieve our stricken ships’ Sailors and Marines from the water followed by airlift for medical emergencies may be compromised. In short, the damage and losses will resemble World War II, yet modern technology will facilitate a fast-moving conflict and perhaps a speedier timeframe to conclusion.

How will the public react? Based on Admiral Paparo’s 60 Minutes interview, our losses could exceed 20 vessels including two capital ships in the form of aircraft carriers. That could mean some 15,000 Sailors and Marines may be lost in a matter of weeks—or roughly double the service members killed in the entire 33-year timeframe spanning from the Gulf War-through-the GWOT-to-present day.  We could find the people of America, looking at a peer-fight through a GWOT lens, imploring their elected representatives in Congress and the President to suspend the hostilities. The public, thinking the heavier than normal losses to be a sign of a defective strategy, may clamor for a combat pause for reassessment...precisely at the time we would want to press Admiral Paparo’s professed technological advantages in undersea warfare, combined with our surface, aviation, and grounds forces to achieve a hard-fought albeit costly victory.  Without a preemptive narrative from the President and Congress, an ill-informed public not conditioned to the realities of peer-nation warfare may unintentionally undercut well laid plans for victory.  Worse still, a unilateral temporary halt by the U.S. and allies may give a peer enemy time to reconstitute and counterattack—perhaps even win a desperate maritime contest.

What is at stake?  The short answer—everything. A peer fight is an “all in” situation in poker parlance.  Win, or be under the heel of another superpower. Again, looking through a peer-warfighting lens, this is not a case of GWOT operations gone wrong in Afghanistan or Iraq where we pack up our gear and go home to the same liberties and way of life.  In peer-nation warfare, we would be engaging an adversary who could bring the fight to our continent. We must remember, the U.S. is the rare example of a benevolent super power. We should not expect a victorious peer adversary to treat us the way we treated the conquered nations of Europe and Asia after WWII.  We should not expect to be able to return home to our traditional freedoms, free markets, and liberties.  We should not expect to be permitted to freely rebuild and redeploy a powerful military to guard our national interests.  In a worst-case scenario, we might expect a foreign presence…based on our shores for the long term.

In my estimation, we stake everything on the next fight…everything we hold dear…every freedom we enjoy.  The chips are “all in.” The time to condition the public to the exigencies and sacrifices of winning a peer-nation conflict…is now.  

About the author:  John Palmer is a native of Lexington, Kentucky and retired rear admiral with 32 years of service in the U.S. Navy—including assignment as Director of Logistics and Ordnance at U.S. Pacific Fleet from 2016-2018.  He is author of the book: “From Bluegrass to Blue Water – Lessons in Farm Philosophy and Navy Leadership” out of Fidelis Publishing in Nashville, Tennessee.  A former corporate CEO, Admiral Palmer is owner of JT Palmer Enterprises, LLC where he serves as an independent consultant, college lecturer, author, and Fox News guest/subject matter expert. Mr. Palmer also participates in the management of two family-owned farms in Kentucky. He and his wife make their home in Spartanburg, South Carolina.

JT Palmer Enterprises, LLC—All rights reserved 

Sources:

·      U.S. Constitution and Civilian control of the U.S. military:  https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/constitution-transcript

o   Ref: Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution assigns the Congress the power to declare war, and Article II, Section 2 of the Constitution denotes the President as the commander-in-chief.

·      American combat losses: https://www.statista.com/statistics/1009819/total-us-military-fatalities-in-american-wars-1775-present/

·      Admiral Paparo interview (60 minutes): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rEc5hsWNsCQ

·      Photo by MC3 Novalee Manzella (Navy): https://www.navy.mil/Press-Office/News-Stories/Article/2723519/uss-gerald-r-ford-conducts-final-explosive-event-completing-full-ship-shock-tri/

Congress should apply self discipline and adjust the CBA as follows: “If, by October 1, the Congress fails in their duty to pass a complete budget through the bicameral legislative chambers, all members of the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate shall report to the carrier piers at Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia and board an aircraft carrier designated by the executive branch…”

Situation Update (17 Nov): Congress avoids a November Shutdown by issuing a second, two-tier CR. September 30th marked the last day of Fiscal Year (FY) 2023, and FY 2024 began unceremoniously on October 1st. To no one’s surprise, Congress did not have a budget agreement submitted to the President, and we were staring down the barrel of a fifteenth government shutdown since 1980. To sidestep the shutdown, Congress passed and the President signed a continuing resolution to carry forth Federal operations for 45 days. In that 45-day period, Congress wrestled with electing new leadership in the form of Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), and the new Speaker forged a bipartisan agreement for a two-tiered CR. The new structure extends funding for part of the government — to include Agriculture, Transportation and Veterans Affairs departments through Jan 19. The Defense Department and other remaining parts of the government are funded through Feb 2. But aside from not shuttering the Federal Government, the CR only kicks the can down the road and possesses all the weaknesses and adverse impacts of the initial CR.

A Fall Tradition in DC: A Continuing Resolution, otherwise known as a CR is an unfortunate fall classic as reliable as Halloween or the World Series. Over the past 47 years, a CR has been enacted in all but three years. Budget impasse is systemic process failure.

Continuing Resolution limitations: A CR is not a blank check or advance on the next year’s budget; rather, it is a stop-gap permitting continuation of current spending. There are CR restrictions that hamstring Federal agencies significantly including a prohibition of new starts for contracts and programs. For DoD, such restrictions and delays in funding can reverberate for years. In fact, during my capstone indoctrination as a new flag officer, then Defense Secretary James Mattis cautioned that he considered budget uncertainty, to include annual CRs, to be more harmful to the Nation’s defense than our enemies in the field. I concur.

Root Cause—Congress: The fault for the pervasive presence of CRs rests primarily with our Congress. Our representatives and senators hold the authority and bear the burden “To lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises, to pay the Debts and provide for the common Defence and general Welfare of the United States...” as codified in Article I, Section 8 of the U.S. Constitution. Moreover, the Congressional Budget Act (CBA) of 1974 formalized the budget process and burdened Congress with completing action on annual appropriations bills by June 30 providing a 3-month buffer before the end of the FY to accommodate delays. Regardless, the budget for the upcoming FY must be passed by October 1 to provide funding continuity for appropriations that expire annually on September 30. In reality, our Congress has become a habitual failure in meeting their preeminent duty of timely funding of the United States’ Federal government in keeping with our Constitution and their own laws. For FY 2024, we are now in the midst of multiple, cascading CRs.

Solution: As a retired naval officer, I have a novel and nautical solution to this problem. I propose an update to the CBA as follows:

• If, by October 1, the Congress fails in their duty to pass a complete budget through the bicameral legislative chambers, all members of the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate shall report to the carrier piers at Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia and board an aircraft carrier designated by the executive branch.

• The aircraft carrier shall get underway no later than sundown on October 1. The official departure shall be announced by an audible signal (whistle) from a boatswainsmate and a verbal command for “Underway—Shift colors!”

o For those uninitiated to the Sea Services: The Navy rate of boatswainsmate is shortened and pronounced “Bosun’s-mate.” The Bosun’s call to “shift colors” signals the crew to haul down the national flag from the flag staff at the stern of the ship and hoist it on the main mast signaling to all within sight of the carrier that the ship is untethered from the pier and “underway.”

• The aircraft carrier shall remain underway and steam along the east coast of the United States until a budget is passed.

• The aircraft carrier shall provide berthing, food (to include special dietary requirements), medical facilities, physicians, pharmacy, etc. to facilitate support of the members of the legislative branch.

• The bicameral chambers shall be allowed only 10 staff members per party for administrative support on board the ship.

• All other congressional and senate staffers shall remain ashore to support constituency matters.

• Shore communications to and from individual legislators on the ship shall be restricted to personal (family) matters only.

• Lobbyists, special interests, and the press shall have no communications with the members of the legislative branch during the underway period.

• House and Senate majority and minority leadership may communicate directly with the President to promote alignment of effort between the Executive and Legislative branches.

• The ship’s messing facilities, squadron ready rooms, and other administrative spaces shall be made available for committee, party, and/or small group deliberations.

• Daily logistics flights shall be used to ferry necessary support materials to the legislators.

• Although each member of the House and Senate may certainly join the carrier strike group’s commanding admiral, ship’s captain, ship’s officers, or chief petty officers for occasional meals, the preponderance of dining for the legislators shall be with the ship’s crew on the mess decks where they may become more familiar with their constituents who form the backbone of our military—the U.S. enlisted service members.

• Legislators with physical disabilities will be given use of aircraft and weapons elevators to move from deck to deck. All other legislators shall become acquainted with the ship’s many ladders (stairs), water-tight doors, hatches, and passageways.

• Upon passage of the completed budget, the Commander In Chief (with press corps representation) shall fly out to the aircraft carrier for a signing ceremony on the flight deck flanked by the entire population of legislators….”Mission Accomplished.” The Commander In Chief may then depart by aircraft at his (or her) discretion.

• The ship shall then return immediately to port at Naval Station Norfolk, and upon passing of the first mooring line to the pier, the whistle shall be sounded and the Bosun’s-mate call of “Moored—Shift Colors!” shall be given.

• After securing the aircraft carrier to the pier and installing the brow (gangway), the members of the House and Senate shall debark the ship.

• The Department of the Navy shall be compensated for all expenses associated with the CR-underway operations.

Author’s note: I trust this “CR-underway” mechanism will only be required one-time to focus the future energies of our legislators and set the budget process on a proper course of completion.

About the author: John Palmer is a native of Lexington, Kentucky and retired rear admiral with 32 years of service in the U.S. Navy. He is author of the book: “From Bluegrass to Blue Water – Lessons in Farm Philosophy and Navy Leadership” out of Fidelis Publishing in Nashville, Tennessee. A former corporate CEO, Admiral Palmer is owner of JT Palmer Enterprises, LLC where he serves as an independent consultant, college lecturer, author, and Fox News interview subject matter expert. Mr. Palmer also participates in the management of two family-owned farms in Kentucky. He and his wife Brooks make their home in Spartanburg, South Carolina.

JT Palmer Enterprises, LLC—All rights reserved

Sources:

• https://www.govexec.com/management/2023/11/house-passes-two-tiered-stopgap-bill-days-shutdown/392007/

• https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/constitution-transcript

• https://www.dau.edu/acquipedia/pages/ArticleContent.aspx?itemid=351

• https://budgetcounsel.com/laws-and-rules/congressional-budget-act-of-1974-2/§110-dection-300-timetable/

• https://budgetcounsel.com/cyclopedia-budgetica/cb-fiscal-year/

• https://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=what+are+the+limitations+of+a+Continuing+resolution&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8

• https://www.defense.gov/News/News-Stories/Article/Article/1435216/mattis-addresses-white-house-reporters-about-budget-uncertainty/

• https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/R/R46240

• https://www.gao.gov/products/gao-22-104701

• https://www.cnbc.com/2023/09/23/the-us-federal-government-is-headed-into-a-shutdown-what-does-it-mean-whos-hit-and-whats-next.html

• https://www.cbsnews.com/news/government-shutdown-history-congress/

Photos:

• CVN https://pixabay.com/photos/aircraft-carrier-ships-combat-ships-1016/

• Cash (Alexander Grey) https://unsplash.com/photos/8lnbXtxFGZw

• BM piping (Photographer’s Mate 1st Class Evelyn P. Haywood/U.S. Navy photo) https://www.military.com/history/behold-glory-of-bosuns-whistle-and-its-power-over-sailors.html