I think all of us were rather skeptical of cult figures on the faculty, particularly the older more senior faculty members who had seen cult figures come and go. And most of them seemed not to get tenure. There may have been some envy. But I do think primarily his colleagues, particularly the more senior ones who had seen a lot of young stars come in and then fade fast, wondered, “Is he another one, the comet who is going to pass quickly?

John Chandler,
former Williams College president