PUBLISHED: 03-16-09

Editor’s Note

The secret ninja has emerged from the shadows.

Last week in this column, I made the observation that President Warrick L. Carter was much like a secret ninja, swooping in and out of Columbia’s campus with ease.

But on March 12, Carter made his annual appearance in dress attire—I’m convinced he actually dresses in ninja garb while he’s in ninja mode—for his State of the College address.  The Chronicle had the opportunity to have a sit-down with the president afterward, accompanied by his chief of staff and Columbia’s media relations director, of course.

Though it wasn’t quite like the prom, it was certainly a day to remember.

Carter began his address by introducing his cabinet of vice presidents, as he said there were some concerns that we didn’t know who they were. Ironically, he skipped over Mark Kelly, vice president of Student Affairs, at first, as he said we should all know who he is already.

It was possibly one of the most awkward moments as an audience member, considering the silence and tension that immediately filled the room. I think it’s safe to assume everyone was thinking the same thing as we looked at the VP who had a look on his face like a kid who was still grounded for breaking the lawnmower while dutifully trying to cut the grass.

After the role call, Carter went on to give his annual speech about where the college stands, and, predictably, he “addressed” where Columbia stands in a tough economic environment. Though he did cover most of the really pressing issues at the college, it was nothing new.

Remember that pesky little memo Carter sent out last fall chock full of cuts and “belt-tightening” measures? Yeah, if you read the memo or our article about it, you didn’t miss much.

The scheduled two-hour event ended an hour early. Though Carter wasn’t in ninja garb, there was definitely some swooping happening. I didn’t see him enter or exit the Ferguson Theater, but he was certainly there one minute and gone the next in typical ninja fashion.

About an hour later, I moseyed up to the pristine fifth floor of the Alexandroff Campus Center, 600 S. Michigan Ave., occupied mostly by the Office of the President, aka the ninja lair. Accompanied by The Chronicle’s senior photo editor and an associate editor, I was welcomed into Carter’s office, fronted by some seriously intimidating doors—you know, the ones with the huge doorknobs in the middle, Wizard of Oz style (so maybe he’s more like The Great and Powerful Oz than a secret ninja?). We got settled, introduced ourselves and off we went into the land of awkward confrontations.

After engaging in small talk about how the event went, we dove right in. Carter handled most of our conversation with grace and ease, though he did seem to be a bit fazed by cameras and the sound of a shutter (Mr. President: Don’t look at the camera when someone’s taking your photo!).

We covered much more ground in our hour-long sit-down than he and his cabinet did at the address, and he was honestly quite pleasant to talk with.

Perhaps the best part of our group date was at the tail end when we confronted the elephant in the room: the question of why Carter has little presence on campus. You can read his response for yourself, but I’ll admit I was a little shocked at how well he handled it.

Upon leaving the room, Carter and his chief of staff joked about my reference to him being a secret ninja. Carter said they even considered beginning his speech at the event by introducing himself as “The Secret Ninja” and then introducing his vice presidents as his “Ninja Rats.” You’re a clever one, Mr. President—no sarcasm intended.

The Chronicle rags on the president quite a bit, but the truth is, he’s a genuinely jovial, charismatic, decent person. He may be super busy collecting checks from donors, like he said in our interview, but he’s a pretty cool guy whom I think students would really like engaging with if he gave them the chance.

Maybe he could give a guest lecture in a class once in a while? The guy has some pretty interesting stories to share from his time at Disney, at Berklee College of Music and as a jazz musician.

So maybe he really is more like The Great and Powerful Oz instead of a secret ninja. So then, what would he call his vice presidents? The Lollipop Guild, perhaps?

Carter, please get back to me about this right away.

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