--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In a large university, there are as many…" description: "\"In a large university, there are as many deans and executive heads as there are schools and departments. Their relations to one another are intricate a..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7ca/jacques-barzun-3251_bureaucracy_in-a-large-university-there-are-as-many_380166.jpg" --- # In a large university, there are as many deans and… ![“In a large university, there are as many deans and executive heads as there are schools and departments. Their relations to one another are intricate and periodic; in fact, "galaxy" is too loose a term: it is a planetarium of deans with the President of the University as a central sun. One can see…” quote by Jacques Barzun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7ca/jacques-barzun-3251_bureaucracy_in-a-large-university-there-are-as-many_380166.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7ca/jacques-barzun-3251_bureaucracy_in-a-large-university-there-are-as-many_380166.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7ca/jacques-barzun-3251_bureaucracy_in-a-large-university-there-are-as-many_380166.jpg) > “In a large university, there are as many deans and executive heads as there are schools and departments. Their relations to one another are intricate and periodic; in fact, "galaxy" is too loose a term: it is a planetarium of deans with the President of the University as a central sun. One can see eclipses, inner systems, and oppositions.” [Jacques Barzun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-barzun/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. University governance resembles a planetary system where the president is the sun and deans orbit, creating complex, recurring interactions. **In simple terms:** University structure is like a solar system with many moving parts. Key Takeaway Recognize and navigate the intricate relationships. Themes leadership organization complexity Mood analytical reflective Type observational strategic When to use this quote - strategic planning - conflict resolution - faculty meetings - policy development Key Concepts systems theory hierarchy network dynamics Questions to Reflect On - How can leaders foster clear communication across departments? - What mechanisms reduce systemic friction? A Different Perspective Complexity can lead to miscommunication and power struggles. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bureaucracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bureaucracy/) [Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dean/) [Deans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deans-43290/) [Deans Executive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deans-executive-3449249/) [Deans President](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deans-president-3449247/) [Department](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/department/) [Eclipse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eclipse/) [Education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education/) [Executives](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/executives/) [Facts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/facts/) [Galaxy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/galaxy/) [Intricate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intricate/) [Opposition](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/opposition/) [Planetarium Deans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/planetarium-deans-3449246/) [President](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/president/) [Relation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/relation/) [School](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/school/) [Sun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sun/) [Term](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/term/) [University](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/university/) [University Deans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/university-deans-3449248/) ## Related quotes > [“I couldn’t bring myself to call him either “Bill,” which would signal friendly familiarity, or “Doctor Vogel,” which would imply respect.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frankie-bow/i-couldn-t-bring-myself-to-call-him-either-bill-which-would-signal/) [Frankie Bow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frankie-bow/) > [“Molly. 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He was an eclipse.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pepper-winters/he-took-over-my-world-he-was-an-eclipse/) [Pepper Winters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pepper-winters/) ## More by Jacques Barzun > [The danger that may really threaten (crime fiction) is that soon there will be more writers than readers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-barzun/the-danger-that-may-really-threaten-crime-fiction-is-that-soon-there/) [Jacques Barzun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-barzun/) > [It seems a long time since the morning mail could be called correspondence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-barzun/it-seems-a-long-time-since-the-morning-mail-could-be-called/) [Jacques Barzun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-barzun/) > [Teaching is not a lost art, but the regard for it is a lost tradition.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-barzun/teaching-is-not-a-lost-art-but-the-regard-for-it-is-a-lost-tradition/) [Jacques Barzun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-barzun/) > [The reason why research is like sculpting from memory is that in neither is there a concrete visible subject to copy directly. 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It is invisible and remains so, maybe for twenty years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-barzun/in-teaching-you-cannot-see-the-fruit-of-a-day-s-work-it-is-invisible/) [Jacques Barzun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-barzun/) > [The mind tends to run along the groove of one's intention and overlook the actual expression.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-barzun/the-mind-tends-to-run-along-the-groove-of-one-s-intention-and/) [Jacques Barzun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-barzun/) > [Vanity is a static thing. It puts it faith in what it has, and is easily wounded. 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It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/camille-paglia/i-believe-that-government-should-confine-itself-to-the-public-realm/) [Camille Paglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/camille-paglia/) > [I think Kafka was right when he said that for a modern, secular, nonreligious man, state bureaucracy is the only remaining contact with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/slavoj-i-ek/i-think-kafka-was-right-when-he-said-that-for-a-modern-secular/) [Slavoj Žižek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/slavoj-i-ek/) > [If there's one thing you should know about me it's that I'm utterly unsuited for bureaucracy. I don't know my passwords to anything. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julio-torres/if-there-s-one-thing-you-should-know-about-me-it-s-that-i-m-utterly/) [Julio Torres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julio-torres/) > [ \[The Utopia of Rules\] should offer a challenge to us all. Should we just accept this bureaucracy as inevitable? Or is there a way… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gillian-tett/the-utopia-of-rules-should-offer-a-challenge-to-us-all-should-we-just/) [Gillian Tett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gillian-tett/) > [“Catholics form a majority in Chile, although there are more and more Evangelicals and Pentacostals who irritate everyone because they have a direct understanding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isabel-allende/catholics-form-a-majority-in-chile-although-there-are-more-and-more/) [Isabel Allende](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isabel-allende/) > [“Plato argued that good people do not need laws to tell them to act responsibly, while bad people will always find a way around…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-k-howard/plato-argued-that-good-people-do-not-need-laws-to-tell-them-to-act/) [Philip K. 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