The FUV plot thickens. Knowing how quickly many faculty and senior administrative staff come and go, I told a colleague who shares my interest in this university that we should place bets on how long the second president will last. For example, Ted Osius, former US ambassador to Vietnam, submitted his resignation after a mere six months as a vice president. Others have lasted less than a year.

It turns out Scott is a longtime FUV associate and has been a member of the inner circle for 20+ years, meaning he might be around for a while. However, being part of Tommy Vallely’s (TV) inner circle and being president of his university are two very different things. On the other hand, Scott must know the score, and is therefore more likely to be a loyal soldier and do his master’s bidding. At any rate, I give him one to two years. Since he probably has to sign an NDA (how many US universities have this requirement, I ask rhetorically?), we won’t know the real reason for his early departure for several years after the fact, if ever.

Who is Scott A. Fritzen? When he served as a member of the Fulbright School Advisory Group back in 2018, he was an associate professor and faculty director of international executive education at Evans School of Public Policy and Governance, University of Washington. He is currently employed by the University of Oklahoma, where he holds the following positions: Dean, David L. Boren College of International Studies; Associate Provost for Global Engagement; William J. Crowe, Jr. Chair in Geopolitics; and Professor, Department of International and Area Studies. Here’s his personal website.

It’s worth mentioning who chaired the search committee: Leon Botstein of Jeffrey Epstein infamy and a member of the FUV board of trustees, a TV loyalist, and Bard College president for life. The other committee members were Lien-Hang Nguyen, Ngo Bao Chau, Hoang Thi Mai Huong, Christopher Malone, and Ben Wilkinson, all members of the FUV board of trustees except Malone. Malone is a member of the Fulbright University Vietnam USA board. (FUV USA is the successor organization to the Trust for University Innovation in Vietnam.) That’s called keeping it in the family!

[For information about FUV USA’s finances, have a look at this ProPublica report. Peter Welsh, chief operating officer, Ben Wilkinson, executive director and board clerk, and Adam Steinberg, director of development and outreach, earned a cool $198,979, $193,288, and $138,349, respectively, in the fiscal year ending in June 2021.]

Incidentally, I was contacted by Perrett Laver, the executive search firm that FUV hired. I declined to recommend anyone, knowing what I do about this university.

Scott faces two main challenges: 1) toe the line in the spirit of “Whose bread I eat, his song I sing” (guess whose song?) and don’t suggest too many improvements; and 2) raise LOTS of money in a short period of time, something that his predecessor failed to do. FUV will not survive on the modest funding it receives from USAID, tuition, and relatively small donations. My guess is he’ll take an extended leave of absence as Plan B.

Good luck, Scott. You’re gonna need it! I (and others) will be watching from the sidelines with great interest.

Memo to TV: Your “electric train set” has become a “project” for a growing number of people who didn’t sign NDAs, owe you nothing, and owe truth and integrity everything. Be patient; I guarantee it’s gonna be worth it.

Shalom (שלום), MAA