Benjamin Ladner
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Benjamin Mance Ladner (born October 30, 1941) is an
academic An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary education, secondary or tertiary education, tertiary higher education, higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membershi ...
expert in the fields of
philosophy Philosophy (from , ) is the systematized study of general and fundamental questions, such as those about existence, reason, knowledge, values, mind, and language. Such questions are often posed as problems to be studied or resolved. Some ...
and
religion Religion is usually defined as a social- cultural system of designated behaviors and practices, morals, beliefs, worldviews, texts, sanctified places, prophecies, ethics, or organizations, that generally relates humanity to supernatural, ...
. He was president of
American University The American University (AU or American) is a private federally chartered research university in Washington, D.C. Its main campus spans 90 acres (36 ha) on Ward Circle, mostly in the Spring Valley neighborhood of Northwest D.C. AU was charte ...
from 1994 to 2005, when he was ousted. His areas of professional interest and research are international relations and the role of higher education; education administration; religion and contemporary culture; and NCAA collegiate athletics. He was previously married to Carolyn Cooper, with whom he had two sons, David and Mark, and later remarried to Nancy Bullard.


Education

Ladner was born in
Mobile, Alabama Mobile ( , ) is a city and the county seat of Mobile County, Alabama, United States. The population within the city limits was 187,041 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, down from 195,111 at the 2010 United States census, 2010 cens ...
. He attended
Murphy High School Murphy High School may refer to: * Murphy High School (Alabama), United States * Murphy High School (North Carolina) Murphy High School (MHS) is a public high school in Murphy, North Carolina, it serves grades 9–12 and is one of only three ...
in Mobile followed by undergraduate study at
Baylor University Baylor University is a private Baptist Christian research university in Waco, Texas. Baylor was chartered in 1845 by the last Congress of the Republic of Texas. Baylor is the oldest continuously operating university in Texas and one of the fir ...
, receiving his
Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...
in 1963. Ladner earned a
Bachelor of Divinity In Western universities, a Bachelor of Divinity or Baccalaureate in Divinity (BD or BDiv; la, Baccalaureus Divinitatis) is a postgraduate academic degree awarded for a course taken in the study of divinity or related disciplines, such as theology ...
from Southern Seminary in 1966 and his Doctor of Philosophy from Duke University in 1970. His dissertation was on Elizabeth Sewell. Ladner has also been awarded doctorates from
Elizabethtown College Elizabethtown College (informally E-town) is a private college in Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania. History Founding and early years Founded in 1899, Elizabethtown College is one of many higher learning institutions founded in the 19th century by c ...
,
Sookmyung Women's University Sookmyung Women’s University () is a private university in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, South Korea. Founded in 1906, Sookmyung is Korea’s first royal private educational institution for women. The university's name is derived from the Hanja charact ...
(South Korea) and
Tashkent State Economic University The Tashkent State University of Economics ( uz, Toshkent Davlat Iqtisodiyot Universiteti , Тошкент Давлат Иқтисодиёт Университети) is one of the largest higher education establishments in the sphere of economi ...
(Uzbekistan).


Career

Ladner began his academic career as a
professor Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an Academy, academic rank at university, universities and other post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin as a "person who pr ...
of philosophy and religion at the
University of North Carolina at Greensboro The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG or UNC Greensboro) is a public research university in Greensboro, North Carolina. It is part of the University of North Carolina system. UNCG, like all members of the UNC system, is a stand-al ...
where he taught for more than a decade. While there, Ladner won the University Teaching Excellence Award and was elected to the National Faculty of Arts, Humanities, and Sciences in 1975, an association of university professors founded by
Phi Beta Kappa The Phi Beta Kappa Society () is the oldest academic honor society in the United States, and the most prestigious, due in part to its long history and academic selectivity. Phi Beta Kappa aims to promote and advocate excellence in the liberal a ...
. He served as its president from 1980 to 1994.


American University

In 1994, Ladner was appointed president of, and professor of philosophy and religion at, American University in Washington D.C. His appointment is credited with bringing stability to the university after a period of turmoil and rapid turnover of presidents. During his tenure, the university experienced financial and academic growth, along with recognition as a leading international university, that partnered with and helped found new universities around the world. The main thrust of Ladner's leadership was defined in a
15 point plan
in 2001, which was approved by faculty, staff and the board. During his tenure as president at American University, Ladner chaired the board of
trustee Trustee (or the holding of a trusteeship) is a legal term which, in its broadest sense, is a synonym for anyone in a position of trust and so can refer to any individual who holds property, authority, or a position of trust or responsibility to t ...
s of the
Consortium of Universities of the Washington Metropolitan Area The Consortium of Universities of the Washington Metropolitan Area is a nonprofit educational association of 19 colleges and universities in the greater Washington metropolitan area, Washington, D.C. metropolitan area and the Smithsonian Institution ...
, the Patriot League Council of Presidents, and served on numerous other boards and commissions including the
National Collegiate Athletic Association The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...
(NCAA), the Washington Board of Trade, and the
Committee for Economic Development The Committee for Economic Development of The Conference Board (CED) is an American nonprofit and nonpartisan public policy think tank. The board of trustees consist primarily of senior corporate executives from a range of U.S. industries an ...
, and the Commission on International Education for the
American Council on Education The American Council on Education (ACE) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) U.S. higher education association established in 1918. ACE's members are the leaders of approximately 1,700 accredited, degree-granting colleges and universities and higher education ...
. He was also a member of the
Commission on Federal Election Reform The Commission on Federal Election Reform was a private, bipartisan organization founded in 2004 by former US President Jimmy Carter and James A. Baker, III, a top official under presidents Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush, to overcome the fl ...
, co-chaired by
Jimmy Carter James Earl Carter Jr. (born October 1, 1924) is an American politician who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he previously served as th ...
and
James Baker James Addison Baker III (born April 28, 1930) is an American attorney, diplomat and statesman. A member of the Republican Party, he served as the 10th White House Chief of Staff and 67th United States Secretary of the Treasury under President ...
; the NCAA Presidential Task Force on the Future of Intercollegiate Athletics; and a United Nations Advisory Group member and manuscript reviewer for the ground-breaking Arab Human Development Report of 2002. In 2003, Ladner fired Susan Clampitt as the head of university-owned radio station,
WAMU WAMU (88.5 FM) is a public news/talk station that services the greater Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. It is owned by American University, and its studios are located near the campus in northwest Washington. WAMU has been the primary National ...
, due to donor and staff outrage at fiscal mismanagement of the
NPR National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other ...
affiliate. Clampitt later sued both Ladner and the university, claiming that Ladner had approved all of her financial decisions, which depleted a $4 million endowment for the station. The court of appeals subsequently denied Clampitt's employment-related claims.


Work abroad

Ladner helped secure the release of individuals jailed for human rights protests and activities in the Palestinian Territories (West Bank) and Burma (Myanmar). Additionally, he led a series of face-to-face talks between Israeli and Palestinian leaders in Ramallah, Jerusalem, and Washington, D.C. in 2003 and 2004. In 2001, Ladner negotiated with the
Chinese government The Government of the People's Republic of China () is an authoritarian political system in the People's Republic of China under the exclusive political leadership of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). It consists of legislative, executive, mili ...
for the release of Gao Zhan, after she was held while being charged as a spy for the United States. Later, it was discovered that Zhan was actually a spy for the People's Republic of China, and she was charged with tax fraud and espionage by the United States but charges were dismissed and she was placed in protective custody after she participated in a CIA operation. Under Ladner's leadership,
American University The American University (AU or American) is a private federally chartered research university in Washington, D.C. Its main campus spans 90 acres (36 ha) on Ward Circle, mostly in the Spring Valley neighborhood of Northwest D.C. AU was charte ...
expanded its reach abroad after being selected as the primary contracting institution to develop and manage two new universities, on in the United Arab Emirates (
UAE The United Arab Emirates (UAE; ar, اَلْإِمَارَات الْعَرَبِيَة الْمُتَحِدَة ), or simply the Emirates ( ar, الِْإمَارَات ), is a country in Western Asia (The Middle East). It is located at th ...
) and the other in
Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...
. The Nigerian university, originally known as ABTI-American University (AAUN) and now called the
American University of Nigeria American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...
(AUN), attracts students from all over
Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...
and around the world seeking an American style education. Unlike most universities in the country, AAUN offers a four-year undergraduate degree program divided among two years of general study followed by two of concentrated study in a major. This differs from most Nigerian universities which follow the British model in which students take classes only in their major. In the UAE, American University established the
American University of Sharjah American University of Sharjah (abbreviated AUS; ar, الجامعة الأمريكية في الشارقة) is a private university in the United Arab Emirates. It was founded in 1997 by Sultan bin Muhammad Al-Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and ...
.


Resignation from presidency of American University

Ladner came under increasing criticism for his high salary, lavish lifestyle, and his frequent travels to visit partnering universities throughout the world. The websit
BenLadner.com
was created by students at the university in 2002 to highlight these criticisms, specifically Ladner's salary. In September 2004, Ladner filed a complaint with
ICANN The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN ) is an American multistakeholder group and nonprofit organization responsible for coordinating the maintenance and procedures of several databases related to the namespaces ...
, alleging that the website's prominent use of his name caused confusion for visitors, causing them to believe it to be his own personal website. ICANN ruled against Ladner, refusing to remove the
domain name A domain name is a string that identifies a realm of administrative autonomy, authority or control within the Internet. Domain names are often used to identify services provided through the Internet, such as websites, email services and more. As ...
because Ladner's name had no commercial value. In August 2005, ''
The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...
'' reported on the opening of an investigation by the American University Board of Trustees into Ladner's expenses. An anonymous letter to the board, later revealed to be from Ladner's fired driver Reginald Green, alleged that Ladner had improperly used university funds for personal expenses. Ladner was placed on administrative leave by the board pending the outcome of the investigation. On August 25, he was suspended from his post. On October 10, 2005, AU's Board of Trustees dismissed Ladner as university president.Susan Kinzie & Valerie Strauss
Deconstructing a Man of Contrasts
''Washington Post'' (October 17, 2005).
Ladner was a controversial figure. Following his ouster, the ''Washington Post'' noted that friends described him "as an honorable, charismatic leader" while a growing number of critics viewed him as "unethical, manipulative and imperious", citing the university investigation that found that Ladners and his wife spent university funds "on foie gras, limousines,
French wine French wine is produced all throughout France, in quantities between 50 and 60 million hectolitres per year, or 7–8 billion bottles. France is one of the largest wine producers in the world, along with Italian, Spanish, and America ...
and family parties." Ladner was given a $3.75 million severance package, causing two trustees to resign. On April 1, 2006, Harry Jaffe wrote an article published in the '' Washingtonian'' magazine summarizing Ladner's reign and fall at American University, detailing expenses and the board of trustees' tussle in support and against the president, including attorneys advice that there was no enforceable contract and that Ladner was terminated for "cause or dishonesty".Jaffe, Harry (April 1, 2006)
"Ben Ladner's Years of Living Lavishly"
'' Washingtonian''.


References


External links

*
Why do Ideas Illuminate?
''Journal of the American Academy of Religion'' 1974 XLII(4):739-745. {{DEFAULTSORT:Ladner, Benjamin 1941 births Living people Leaders of American University Duke University alumni People from Mobile, Alabama Southern Baptist Theological Seminary alumni Baylor University alumni