As likely as not, college and university presidents are in the news now for rather more uncomfortable reasons--for investigations into their seemingly greedy and extravagant ways, for compromising circumstances involving big-time athletic teams and corrupt coaches, for personal scandals, or for attempts to discuss pseudo-academic issues that veer off into controversy, confusion, and even ridicule. Where, many are asking, are the public intellectuals and national leaders of yesteryear? Perhaps it seems unrealistic to expect that the CEOs of educational institutions, with all their other duties and worries, can or should play a central role in the public life of the United States in these troubled times. Over the years, many have. In this article, the author names a few 20th-century figures who stir nostalgia for their national leadership. He calls on today's college and university presidents to step forward and fill the vacuum in the public sphere--to stand once more for empiricism, reason, and calm debate; to abandon blandness and be willing to rock a boat now and then, instead of speaking primarily to defend themselves against attack. (Contains 2 notes.)