Wulf Plans Major Shifts At Academy Of Engineering: New president believes NAE can make its mark as a force for wisdom and technological leadership in the country

C omputer scientist William A. Wulf got the surprise phone call of his life in 1996 when a member of the council of the National Academy of Engineering—NAE's governing arm—asked him if he would be willing to serve as acting president of that 33-year-old organization . The academy was in turmoil. Members were about to vote on whether their president, Harold Liebowitz, should be removed from office for various trans-gressions of institutional rules and practices. NAE staff was demoralized, fund-raising had ceased, and programs were stalled as Liebowitz attempted to alter NAE in ways seen as both unorthodox and combative toward its sister organization, the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) . Wulf took a weekend to consider the bid and decided he would be willing. So when the tally came in and Liebowitz was in fact removed, Wulf stepped into the job. Later in the year, he stood for president, and last spring, after ...