Game Change

A man of many passions, Steve Poskanzer admits having two obsessions: hockey and higher education.

“I’m not a good enough skater to play hockey, but I love to watch it, and I’m particularly obsessed with goaltenders,” says Poskanzer (pronounced PAHS-kan-zer), who played goalie in street hockey matches as a kid. “Hockey goalies are living on the edge, solving problems, fending off pucks that are coming faster than any human being can see. For many years, probably the most technically skilled and innovative goaltender in the history of hockey, Patrick Roy, played for the Colorado Avalanche, so my loyalty to the team grew out of watching him.”

It’s a loyalty that may be tested now that Poskanzer, Carleton’s newly inaugurated president, lives in the land of the Minnesota Wild—but don’t expect him to change teams anytime soon. He has, however, signed up to be goaltender for one of Carleton’s broomball teams this winter. “I’m hoping that will both play into my desires and limit my chances of being hurt,” he says.

When it comes to higher education, Poskanzer loves tending the goals of an institution, guarding its culture and values, and positioning it to succeed in the future. It’s why, he says, his “ever-present obsession about how to give the very best care to Carleton” keeps him energized and working overtime. That kind of care requires seeing the big picture and thinking strategically. “You’ve got to keep in mind the whole flow of the game or the season, not just deflect pucks,” he says, sticking with a hockey metaphor.

Poskanzer, 51, who earned an undergraduate degree in public and international affairs at Princeton and a law degree from Harvard, honed his leadership skills in various administrative roles at the University of Pennsylvania, Princeton, the University of Chicago, the State University of New York (SUNY) system, and SUNY New Paltz. As executive assistant to the president of the University of Chicago, he developed strategies for a range of academic and administrative issues and ran the daily operations of the president’s office; as vice provost for academic affairs at SUNY, he helped launch and implement a strategic planning initiative to revitalize the entire 64-campus system.

“To lead you have to know where you’re going, and Steve is very goal-oriented,” says Peter Salins, former SUNY provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs, now professor of political science at SUNY Stony Brook. “He won over all the constituencies and was instrumental in helping me make SUNY a better place—and even if Carleton is nearly perfect, I’m sure he’ll make it a better place.”

Before becoming Carleton’s 11th president, Poskanzer was president of SUNY New Paltz for nine years (including three as interim president). At New Paltz, he increased the selectivity and academic quality of the entering student class, expanded the number of full-time faculty members and reduced the percentage of courses taught by part-time instructors, acquired a 42-acre parcel of land contiguous to the campus to accommodate future growth, secured $94 million in addition to capital appropriations—and, perhaps most important, raised the aspirations of students, faculty members, and friends of the college.

“This was leadership of the highest order in a community that when he arrived did not properly imagine what was possible,” says Hugo Sonnenschein, president emeritus and professor of economics at the University of Chicago and Poskanzer’s mentor. “His presidency was transformational.”

In 2007 Newsweek magazine named SUNY New Paltz the “Hottest Small State School” in America, and in 2009 the New York Times highlighted New Paltz’s growing selectivity and quality in a front-page story.

That success and visibility brought Poskanzer to Carleton’s attention after President Robert A. Oden Jr. announced in September 2009 that he would be retiring in 2010. But it was Poskanzer’s warmth and good humor, as well as his intelligence and commitment to the liberal arts, that made him the breakaway candidate to replace President Oden, who left in June.

“He is easy to talk to and to work with, and he tells you the whole story,” says Jack Eugster ’67, chair of Carleton’s Board of Trustees and co-chair of the presidential search committee. “He’s a well-read, erudite individual who has been accepted as an academician by the faculty members he’s worked with in the past. He likes to teach, he’s written an important book [Higher Education Law: The Faculty, Johns Hopkins University Press, 2002], and students think of him as someone they can get close to.”

Even though Poskanzer doesn’t come from a traditional liberal arts background, it was clear early in the search process that he grasped what Carleton is all about, says Michael Hemesath, professor of economics, president of the faculty, and member of the search committee. “He was able to tick off five or six strengths of Carleton—such as comps and the high number of graduates who go on to get PhDs—that he thought could be used to give us a higher profile,” he says.

During Poskanzer’s first visit to campus, Hemesath saw him pick up a piece of litter off the grass and took it as a good sign: “It suggested to me that he would get the little things right, as well as the big ones.”

Poskanzer is known for leading by example. At New Paltz, he almost always parked in the furthest lot instead of a presidential spot, effectively circumventing complaints about the lack of parking next to offices.

One of the four student representatives on the search committee, Kristen Vellinger ’12 (Pleasanton, Calif.), says that the committee polled Carleton students to find out what they were looking for in a president. “Students wanted someone who has a lot of energy, who can create an environment where everyone feels comfortable, and who can maintain the essence of Carleton while making the College more widely known,” says Vellinger. Poskanzer stood out as being that person.

At New Paltz, he attended every event his schedule would allow and acted in several student theatrical productions, including roles as Howie the milkman in Our Town and Liver Lips Louis in Guys and Dolls. He also taught an introductory law course. “The subject matter just rolled off his tongue,” says Charis Orzechowski, who was his teaching assistant. “And he made it accessible by using ridiculous hypothetical examples that had us all laughing. President P. always made himself available if students needed help or advice.”

Poskanzer’s reputation for being fun-loving and engaged with students preceded him to Carleton—and was quickly confirmed. Within weeks of his arrival in early August, a photo of him with the elusive bust of Schiller appeared on Facebook and on the cover of the Carl—the Carletonian’s weekly arts supplement. In the photo—which Poskanzer shot with his iPhone in the bathroom at Nutting House—he is bare-chested and clad in a towel with Schiller tucked under one arm. Their faces are slathered with shaving foam and he’s shaving both himself and Schiller.

“The minute I saw that picture on Facebook, I thought, ‘We’ve got the right guy,’ ” says trustee Cathy Paglia ’74, who co-chaired the search committee. “Steve has the exact combination of intellectual brilliance, low-key genuineness, and sense of humor that Carleton requires.”

Subsequent photos of the president and Schiller were printed in the next issue of the Carl and document a day in their life together—picking out neckties, going for a scooter ride, having a cold drink after a croquet game, and dining by candlelight. One of Schiller’s guardians wrote of Poskanzer’s lighthearted approach: “We have had a secret meeting in the Arb with him, code words, poetry recitings, obscure phone messages, e-mails full of literary allusion. He is both a smart and a funny man.”

It’s obvious that Poskanzer will go for the bold when it comes to connecting with Carleton—and planning for its future. “He’s not a person whose personal pride will prevent him from doing the right thing,” says L. David Eaton, vice president of enrollment at New Paltz, who was a member of Poskanzer’s cabinet. “His style is to put everything on the table and [invite] opinions and ideas and criticisms. He will develop a vision in conjunction with people on campus to achieve buy-in, and then he will work relentlessly to achieve those goals.”

“He’s not afraid to make difficult choices,” adds Sonnenschein. “There’s nothing he will not take on if he believes that it’s essential for the strength of the college.”

Eaton notes that Poskanzer is an optimistic person, yet when he’s contemplating how to address a problem or a perceived threat to an organization, he likes to work the worst-case scenario. “We would discuss all angles and develop a detailed strategy,” he says. “It was an intense process, but we always moved forward with both a belt and suspenders.”

Poskanzer took a similar thorough approach when he first met his wife, Jane Nofer Poskanzer, a clinical child psychologist who specializes in autism spectrum disorders. They met on a blind date, fixed up by friends in Pennsylvania, and he carefully planned their first date to give him an out if he needed one. He decided to take her to Longwood Gardens during the day so that they would be doing a planned activity together instead of having to make small talk over a meal. If the date didn’t go well there would be a clear ending point; if it did go well, they could go out to dinner afterward. It went well.

Married for 19 years, the Poskanzers have two children, Jill, 17, and Craig, 15. For this academic year, Jane and Jill are remaining in central New York while Jill finishes her senior year in high school and figures out where she’ll go to college. (Carleton is on her list of colleges to consider, though her father being named president may complicate her decision process.) Craig entered Phillips Exeter Academy in New Hampshire this fall.

“Northfield is our home, and our kids will be here during vacations,” says Poskanzer. “Jane is looking for a professional position in the area. She graduated from Haverford, so liberal arts colleges mean a lot to her, and she is as eager as I am to embrace this community.”

Education is a long-standing value in the family. Poskanzer’s grandfather immigrated to America from Lithuania, struggled financially, but believed in the power of education—and both his sons became PhD-educated college professors. “Nothing changes a family’s destiny more than the type of education their children receive,” says Poskanzer. “That’s a major reason why I work in higher education today.”

He grew up in central New York, in the small college town of Cortland, which he says is similar to Northfield in character and values (and home of the Cortland apple). His father taught public health for many years at SUNY Cortland, and his mother served on the college council and volunteered in the community. “Seeing former students stay in touch with my father showed me what it means for a faculty member to be a mentor,” says Poskanzer. “He is a tremendous role model for me.”

Being the only son and middle child in a family of four sisters made him a natural diplomat, and as a young boy he dreamed of being involved in public affairs. In high school he played football and lacrosse as an antidote to his academic orientation. “I wanted to test myself in an athletic setting,” says Poskanzer. “I wasn’t very good, but you learn a lot by having the tar whaled out of you on the football field.”

At Princeton he majored in public and international affairs, with a concentration in African studies, and went on to law school at Harvard. After graduation he worked for two years at a large law firm in Washington, D.C., then—drawn back to academia largely because of his family’s background—accepted a position in the general counsel’s office at the University of Pennsylvania.

“Steve is a talented lawyer, and he also showed a great sensitivity to the mission of the institution,” says Shelley Green, former university general counsel at Penn. “He has a broad vision, as well as the ability to focus on details. And he has a wonderful sense of humor. He contributed enormously to both the work and the atmosphere of
the office.”

Poskanzer used his knowledge of African affairs to guide Penn through the decision to divest itself of South African stocks and realized he could have a broad impact on public policy while he was working in a university setting. Awarded a fellowship by the American Council on Education, he interned with Hugo Sonnenschein, who was then provost of Princeton. When Sonnenschein left to become president of the University of Chicago, he appointed Poskanzer his executive assistant.

In Sonnenschein, Poskanzer found a professional mentor and a close friend. “My professional career over the past 19 years has been the direct result of the experience I gained working for Hugo and the opportunities that opened up for me through him,” he says.

Poskanzer’s breadth of experience at both public and private institutions will serve him well as he positions the College to compete in the future—as will his personal traits, which, in true Carleton style, are varied and distinctive. Friends and former coworkers say he is warm, caring, wise, loyal, kind, fun, and devoted to his family. He has boundless energy and works late into the night, apparently with little need for sleep. He eats pasta with cut-up hot dogs when he’s left to his own culinary devices. He has unusually small, yet perfectly legible, handwriting; transcribers enlarge his notes on a photocopier in order to read them more easily. He sprinkles his speech with metaphors and literary allusions and quotations. He enjoys Star Wars, silly jokes, sports, and sitting in the cab of a big machine when it’s time to break ground for a new facility.

In other words, he fits right in at Carleton.

Now that he’s here, Poskanzer is busy getting to know the Carleton and Northfield communities. He is talking with students, alumni, trustees, and parents, as well as staff and faculty members through campus events and meetings with administrative and academic departments and programs. He is holding regular office hours and has attended student town hall sessions sponsored by the Carleton Student Association. He is meeting Northfield neighbors and community leaders and participating in local events. He has already addressed a forum hosted by the Northfield Downtown Development Corporation. 

“Steve is a community-minded president, and the response from the Northfield community has been terrific,” says Joe Hargis, associate vice president for external relations. “Northfield residents appreciate his enthusiasm for the town and the opportunity to get to know him and his family.”

Poskanzer is also laying plans for a comprehensive strategic planning process at the College, which he says is essential for determining priorities and moving forward purposefully. “Carleton is one of the four or five best liberal arts colleges in the world,” says Poskanzer, “but how do we become the best? We need to figure out where to place our intellectual bets so that we are in a position of strength 20, 40, 60 years from now—understanding that in a world of constrained resources, Carleton, like everywhere else, cannot be superb in every field at every time. We’ve made smart bets in the past, and we will do so in the future.”

Here’s our bet: With Poskanzer as the College’s goaltender, very little will get past our new president. And at the end of the day, Carleton wins.