Starting over in any career can be difficult, especially when moving from the president’s office, at the wheel of a major university, to the trenches of teaching and research.

Some presidents who retain their tenure as faculty members see this option as a golden parachute—an opportunity to return to their first love. Others find the experience to be more like a set of shackles.

NIU has had two presidents take that route in the last 10 years.

Public Administration Professor Clyde Wingfield, NIU president from 1985 to 1986, was asked to resign by the Regents in June 1986 after The Northern Star revealed he authorized nearly $100,000 in university funds for the remodeling of his home.

William Monat, regency professor of public administration, served as NIU president from 1978 to 1984 and went on to serve two years as the Regents first chancellor before returning to a full-time faculty position.

NIU Legal Counsel George Shur said tenure, a time-honored tradition, basically is a commitment by universities to provide lifetime employment to qualified instructors.

The switch from the administrator’s office to the classroom is not without its obstacles, like trying to catch up in their field. Presidents in scientific and legal fields are especially vulnerable to this problem.

When a president leaves office under a cloud, bad feelings can make a return to teaching uncomfortable for all concerned.

J. Carroll Moody, University Council executive secretary, said the Board of Regents could avoid some trouble with failed presidencies by spelling out more specific terms for the position.

The presidents of the three regency schools currently serve “at the pleasure of the board” and resignations are handled in an ad hoc fashion, Moody said.

In the most recent example, the Joint University Advisory Committee questioned former Sangamon State President Durward Long’s temporary appointment to the board’s newly created vice chancellor position. Long stepped down last September after an admitted drinking problem and alleged sexual harassment.

“The duties include long-range strategic planning. I don’t know how you do long-range planning in six or nine months,” Moody said.

Monat, whose return to faculty life is widely regarded as successful, said he owes the smooth transition to his love for teaching and administrative experience.

“I never stopped being a faculty member. While I was provost and president, I taught. It enriched the class discussion, and the student evaluations indicated that,” Monat said.

Monat, who came to NIU in 1969 and served as political science chairman, said he had always hoped to return to teaching full time. “I didn’t even consider going into academic administration until I was 41 or 42,” he said.