Stanford think tank debate
could be headed to SMU

By JAMES HOHMANN
The Dallas Morning News

PALO ALTO, Calif. – Stanford's president and provost did not find out that former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld had been appointed a distinguished visiting fellow at the university's Hoover Institution until a news release was issued.

The unexpected September announcement roiled the campus – prompting several protests, a petition that has gathered 3,900 signatures and debates that continue two months later.

Continuing arguments over the appointment of Mr. Rumsfeld offer a glimpse into how a similar university-think tank relationship might unfold between Southern Methodist University and the proposed George W. Bush presidential library, which is expected to include a policy institute.

Mr. Rumsfeld's invitation to the Hoover Institution is the latest episode in a relationship between think tank and university that is both fractious and symbiotic.

"The Hoover Institution is owned lock, stock and barrel by the university," former Stanford President Donald Kennedy said. "It's produced some problems. There have been some differences in philosophy. They are committed to a certain set of policies identified with the political right. On the other hand, it has integrated quite successfully from time to time."

Mr. Bush's advisers and SMU faculty have closely studied the Hoover model. The institution's director, John Raisian, said in an interview that he has "regular conversations" with Mr. Bush's library team. When Mr. Bush traveled to Stanford in the spring of 2006, he discussed his plans with Hoover fellows and asked for their advice.

Supporters say the Bush library and its policy institute would bring high-end public policy scholars and big donations to SMU. Opponents have expressed concern that the policy center would be used to advance a partisan agenda – under the name of both the university and the Methodist church.

SMU has not officially been awarded the Bush library, although the school was named the lone finalist in December. And while it's unknown exactly what the relationship between the university and library will be, there is general agreement that the library's policy institute will be more independent than the Hoover Institution.

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