Obama sounds like he was an interesting, if not idiosyncratic professor. This essay suggests lots about him and his style, beginning with the care in which he has long managed his identity, as well as his ambition. But, what I find interesting is just how easily he managed to give up all the usual trappings of success, at least among academics and the middle-class more broadly: tenure, better pay, job security. Instead, he forged individualistic path and an idiosyncratic one, which is much to be admired. It is no wonder that he would puzzle university folks, for whom the university and the “life of the mind” is so central.

The Long Run – As a Professor, Obama Enthralled Students and Puzzled Faculty – Series – NYTimes.com.