Ronald J. Stern has that star power going for him. He sauntered into the packed Swindells auditorium with a relaxed, hey dude, I’m from California attitude. He worked the room, shaking a few hands, as he approached the podium; standing there setting up his Powerpoint presentation, he leaned slightly to the left, one hand on his chin, as if it was the most natural place to be at that moment.

The open forum presentation is likely one of the most important speeches each finalist will ever give in their professional careers. The gravity of the moment did not appear to weigh upon Mr. Stern’s unassuming shoulders.

Given his entrance and his family name–one of the most well-known Deaf families in the nation–people can be excused from imagining a Stern presidency in the same light as a Clinton or Kennedy administration. He looks like he’s got it all–except the Ed.D.

He immediately addressed concerns about his academic qualifications with a dissertation-like title for his presentation: Bridging the Gap Between Rhetoric and Action: Elevating Community, Learning, and Social Justice.

Oh boy. Looks like we’re about to hear a dissertation defense. In all honesty, the uproar over his current lack of an Ed.D (which will be awarded in December 2006, according to his University of New Mexico academic adviser) is all hot air. Is he automatically less capable of running a school because he’s eight months away from a doctorate? He already has two chapters done. Does his school administrative experience not speak for itself?

Back to the presentation. He expressed humility and graciousness at being selected as one of the three finalists, remarking, “it still hasn’t hit me yet.”

In what was to be a foreshadowing of his vision, he declared that “Only Gallaudet is OUR university. Our home.”

Anyone remember George McGovern’s 1972 presidential campaign slogan? Come home, America! Slightly modify it to Come home, Deaf people! and you’ll know exactly how Mr. Stern feels about Gallaudet’s role in the deaf and hard-of-hearing community.

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He is, however, deeply rooted in K-12 education. The title of his second Powerpoint slide read, “If I were President of Gallaudet…” Perhaps he had his favorite third-grader write that title? Higher education is a whole another ballgame, and he took time to alleviate concerns that he was not up for the bigger pair of shoes. “Even though I’m an outsider, I’m not clueless,” he said.After a nod to President I. King Jordan and Provost Jane K. Fernandes’ distinguished leadership, he outlined four challenges that were facing Gallaudet:

• 25-26% graduation rate within six years
• Students of color and deaf students trail the pack when compared to white students and hard-of-hearing students, respectively
• Diversity of student body and faculty are not changing to keep in line with current demographic trends
• Lack of sense of belonging to the University

Nice, bold challenges. “Goals aren’t worth much if the results stay the same,” he admonished.

How to confront this challenges? He lapsed into his Bay Area liberal persona (which this author has no problem with, being a San Diego liberal himself), and declared Gallaudet must maximize its role in policymaking, legislative action, and K-12 educational policy, and promote community, leadership, and social justice.

Hot damn. Keep going, Mr. Stern.

“We must focus on qualitiative and cultural aspects of change. It’s time to focus on the system and on the people within that system.” He then proposed a faculty shared governance model, effectively envisioning a modern, horizontal personnel structure for the University. This is poetry to the faculty’s eyes.

He then proceeded to revise the English language, saying that we need to stop using the word “communication” as a panacea for resolving conflict, and elevate the idea of “conversations.” After all, as he said, you can have one-way communication, but you can’t have an one-way conversation. Dissent is good; it speeds things along.

Conversations must happen constantly at Gallaudet, he stressed. Promote co-curricular programs. Successful programs will raise the bar; a better sports program will make Gallaudet’s name shine, and let’s buttress our performing arts department and invite community members to see our cultural activities.

Let’s recruit top talent from the K-12 programs. Let’s retain our students and faculty. Promote Socratic dialogue–an effective teaching tool–in all classrooms.

We like your vision so far, Mr. Stern. Tell us more, more!

Gallaudet should join the Campus Compact to promote a higher level of civics and social awareness in its student population. We must be aggressive in addressing oppression in all forms: sexism, audism, classism, racism. To this point, we must intensely involve ourselves in the legislative and policymaking process to raise the bar of Deaf education nationwide.

And we also must fight against being oppressed. Marginalized people like us must have human rights. And our students must learn about social justice. Have them study forms of nonviolent dissent as well as past leaders of social justice like King and Gandhi.

I’m positively electrified at this moment. my progressive, liberal veins are tingling. He closes the presentation with a quote by Cicero, “Freedom is participation in power.” Mr. Stern says we can spread the positive energy here.

And finally, the end: “Gallaudet can change the world.”

And that’s Mr. Stern’s bold vision. Gallaudet should be at the forefront of the Deaf movement; students must be active members of the greater community and promote social justice. Gallaudet should be a beacon of hope for education of the deaf worldwide; it should use its expertise in creating positive legislative action that benefit our children, not shortchange them. A new Golden Age. Pax Gallaudetensis.

At this point, I have no doubt that he can do the job. Anyone who rules him out because of his non-Ed.D. is looking for an excuse to pick somebody else.

The only drawback is that he made everything a priority. But that’s okay. I’m dazzled by his vision anyway. He’ll sort it all out if he becomes President. And at this point–although I really can’t speak for the Board of Trustees–he is already miles ahead of the other two candidates.

Good job, Ron!

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