Respect. Don't judge.
Sandy Boyd
Coming of age professionally in heated times helped cement a philosophy of respect in Willard Boyd, a man most people know as "Sandy." The longtime University of Iowa president served during the civil rights movements for blacks and women, the Vietnam War, and endured the protests, proclamations and difficult choices of the day.
"Respect, don't judge," the 80-year-old president emeritus said. "This is a world made up of many perspectives. If you hunker down and think you have the right answer, the situation turns into a sour pickle."
Boyd said it's no coincidence that virtually every religion around the world has some version of the Golden Rule. Nothing can be accomplished when people are self-centered and inwardly focused, he said.
Gaps are bridged through understanding and respect, even when people disagree on the points, Boyd said.
"Think about how other people think about something you think about," he said.
"To be effective, you have to work with others. You can't do it by yourself," he said.
One of the most difficult periods of his tenure as UI president came when he refused to close the university to demonstrate its protest of the Vietnam War, Boyd said.
"Why close the university? It is a place of learning," was his philosophy at the time.
That was one of several times - he also mentioned making dormitories co-ed - that people wanted him to be fired and demonstrated on the Pentacrest lawn.
"I never enjoyed demonstrations, but I understood them," Boyd said.
Dealing with his opponents meant meeting with them and listening to what they had to say, he said.
"I always thought if I listened to what some had to say and understood their point of view, they would accept my decision," Boyd said.
— Brian Morelli
