Stephen S. Weiner
Co-Founder Campaign for College Opportunity
An old man, going a lone highway,
Came, at the evening, cold and gray,
To a chasm, vast, and deep, and wide,
Through which was flowing a sullen tide.
You never again will pass this way;
You’ve crossed the chasm, deep and wide—
Why build you this bridge at the evening tide?”
The old man crossed in the twilight dim;
The sullen stream held no fear for him;
But he turned, when safely on the other side,
And built a bridge to span the tide.
The builder lifted his old gray head:
“Good friend, in the path I have come,” he said,?”
There followeth after me today,
A youth, whose feet must pass this way.
“Old man,” said a fellow pilgrim, near,
“You’re wasting your strength with building here;
Your journey will end with the ending day;
A poem by Will Allen Dromgoole Dedicated by Roy Lawson to Steve Weiner, bridge builder par excellence
WASC: WESTERN ASSOCIATION OF SCHOOLS AND COLLEGES
Steve Weiner, who served as Executive Director of WASC from 1988- 1996, passed away Sunday, April 21, 2013. Prior to coming to lead WASC, Steve had worked at UC Berkeley and Mills College.
GOLDMAN SCHOOL OF PUBLIC POLICY, UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, BERKELEY
It is with great sadness that we report the passing on Sunday, April 21, 2013 of Steve Weiner, Associate Dean of the Goldman School from 1977-1980, and a good friend of the school for the past 35 years.
SAN JOSE MERCURY NEWS
Dr. Stephen Weiner had a long, distinguished and productive career as a college administrator and public policy expert. He remained distinguished, productive and respected in retirement as co-founder of three nonprofit organizations.
STEVE WEINER – EDUCATION ACTIVIST
Steve Weiner helped shape some of the nation’s leading universities during his career, but his influence only grew in retirement when he turned his attention to changing public policy. A co-founder of the Campaign for College Opportunity
A MESSAGE FROM MICHELE SIQUEIROS
It is with a truly heavy heart that I share the news that The Campaign for College Opportunity’s co-founder, Steve Weiner, passed away Sunday. It was nine years ago that I met Steve. He shared that when we first met, he wasn’t impressed.
Reflections
“Steve was a one-man think tank—impatient with conventional wisdom and unafraid to confront various educational, political and corporate establishments. Steve majored in unafraid. And the fact that he came from a distinguished academic and administrative career meant that his ideas were credible and carefully considered.”
Gary Hart, Former California Secretary of Education & State Senator
“Steve was a force in everything he chose to do. He was a natural leader with great courage, persistent and integrity. He had a great command of the immediate as well as the vision to see much further down the road then most of us. His educational contributions to young people were extraordinary.”
Bill Hauck, Senior Advisor, Goddard Claussen/West
“Steve was not only an original and passionate thinker about higher education issues, he also had a gift for pulling people together to challenge and learn from one another. Steve’s inclusivity and generosity has been a great help to me and many others. I will miss him.”
Hans Johnson, Senior and Bren Fellow, Public Policy Institute of California
“Steve’s relentless vision and life’s work to ensure that students, regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, income or any other of the diverse characteristics that define the American people, must have educational opportunity at every level. He was an inspiration to thousands of us who stand on the shoulders of his legacy to do more, to do better, to give more and to push forward until education for all becomes a fundamental right for every American. With great love and sorrow.”
Martha J. Kanter, Under Secretary of Education for the U.S. Department of Education
“Steve was a visionary who had the remarkable ability to put his idea into practice in the real world. He asked the toughest of questions, and was a brilliant strategist who understood the multidimensional nature of things.”
Louis Freedberg, Executive Director, EdSource
“Steve knew who he was, what was important to him, and he acted accordingly. And that is why we will miss him. He inspired us to emulate this difficult way of being.”
David Wolf, Campaign for College Opportunity Co-Founder
“Higher education in California has lost one of its most passionate supporters and articulate spokespersons.”
Peter MacDougall, Former Member California Community Colleges Board of Governors