“The Board of Trustees respects the right of people to express their views in a peaceful manner. However, individuals who violated the law and Gallaudet University’s Code of Conduct will be held accountable. We expect the University to honor its long tradition of respect for each other and property and to return to normal.”

Statement by I. King Jordan

“The struggle during the past several months has been very painful for all of us. I am deeply troubled by the divisions among us and by the anger that overtook reason, respect, and civility.

“Now we must all come together for the sake of Gallaudet, particularly for the sake of Gallaudet’s students–those who are our students now and those who will be students in the future.

“I want to thank Jane Fernandes for her dedication and courage and her standing up for what’s right. I am personally saddened–for Gallaudet and for Dr. Jane K. Fernandes–that she will not have the opportunity to
show Gallaudet and the world what a great president she could have been. Her vision and her plans to make that vision come to life would have guided the university we all love into a bright future. The Board of Trustees saw that promise when they selected Dr. Fernandes as president. In order to resolve the current stalemate the Board has deemed it necessary to steer a different course, and I accept their decision. Now we must all put down our weapons of words and seek to restore a sense of community.

“In my Town Hall speech last November I said there is more that unites us than divides us. I think we lost sight of that for a time and we must work together to refocus on the core values that unite us. We should not look for a resolution to the struggle of recent months in terms of winners and losers. If we do, Gallaudet and our students will
be the losers.”

“I love Gallaudet University and I believe I could have made a significant contribution to its future. I hope that the Gallaudet community can heal the wounds that have been created. I trust that we all want a stronger, better, more inclusive Gallaudet where ASL and Deaf culture have been and always will be at the core of academic and community life.”

TO: Campus Community

FROM: Board of Trustees

DATE: October 29, 2006

RE: Board of Trustees Meeting

Today, we announce with much regret and pain that after serious deliberation in a special, all-day Executive Session of the Board of Trustees, we have voted to terminate Dr. Fernandes’ appointment asPresident-Designate (currently effective) and President (effectivebeginning January 1, 2007) at Gallaudet University.

We understand the impact of this decision and the important issues that inherently arise when a Board re-examines decisions in the face of an on-going protest. The Board believes that it is in the best interests of he University to terminate Dr. Fernandes from the incoming President’s position. Although undoubtedly there will be some members of the
community who have differing views on the meaning of this decision, we believe that it is a necessity at this point. The Board is continuing to meet to discuss transitional issues.

It has certainly been a difficult and trying time for our Gallaudet community. Now is the time for healing. The hope of the Board of Trustees is for our beloved community to come together to work for a stronger and better Gallaudet.

If you know of any more resigning Presidents, please let us know.

July 2006
President Manny M. Aragon
New Mexico Highlands University

Faculty members had complained that Mr Aragon, a longtime state legislator, belittled them and disregarded the principles of shared governance. He also faced accusations that, under his administration, racial factors played a role in personnel decisions. The Board of Regents sacked him.

August 2006
President Karl E. Burgher
University of Maine at Presque Isle.

Resigned after losing a faculty vote of no confidence, prompted by his “reticence to communicate effectively with members of the community,” said Christine L. Standefer, a professor of physical education and president of the University Senate. “He wasn’t really good at communicating with us and the general campus population about what he was thinking and where he was going.”

August 2006
President Louis Caldera
University of New Mexico
A son of Mexican immigrants who rose to become U.S. secretary of the Army, he resigned by mutual agreement, amid apparent friction with its Board of Regents. Caldera’s limited academic background had been criticized by faculty members.

August 2006
President Judith I. Bailey
Western Michigan University
The Board of Trustees fired her for what it called a breach of contract and unsatisfactory performance. It cited her inability to correct dipping enrolement, budget deficits, and strained relations with the faculty and the local community. Ms. Bailey irked faculty members in recent months. She led a plan to reduce graduate programs that sparked widespread criticism by professors and students, who argued that she had acted without adequately consulting them. The resulting squabble led to the resignation of the university’s provost.

Late 2005
President Kevin Rameriz
Sierra College, Sacramento

Resigned after student-staff protests over the investment of a $394 million bonds issue, and accusations of mis-management. A new Board of Trustees requested his resignation.

————

This list is taken from The Chronicle Of Higher Education which also has a good discussion between 3 experienced presidents on why new presidents get into trouble:

” A new president is well advised to spend the first year just learning the culture and assessing the people, and the second year working with the faculty and with the trustees and with others in developing some kind of a strategic plan and then spending the rest of his or her time there attempting to carry that out.”

” New leaders can quickly get into trouble. Particularly if they come into the role, they haven’t built up a support base, and they make a couple of mistakes. The new presidents often take on too much, they implement a change agenda without having built up their support base, they have done very little leading with their ears, and they create relationship problems.”

” I’ve never heard anybody complain about new presidents in trouble over the goals. It’s always over the methods and the relationships — the lack of them.”
————————–

The list of ejected presidents:

January 27, 2006
President Carol C. Harter
U. of Nevada at Las Vegas

News of Ms. Harter’s resignation is leaked to the news media. Although she did not give a reason for her departure, two university regents said she clashed with James E. Rogers, chancellor of the Nevada System of Higher Education, and that he forced her out.

February 1, 2006
President Paula D. Cunningham
Lansing Community College

Ms. Cunningham resigns after weeks of public conflict with members of the college’s governing board. She had been dogged by the release of a report by a board committee that looked into major glitches in the college’s student-aid software.

February 21, 2006
President Lawrence H. Summers
Harvard U.

Mr. Summers resigns in advance of a no-confidence vote by the university’s arts-and-sciences faculty, which approved a similar measure one year earlier. Mr. Summers had several high-profile clashes with faculty members over his management style and public statements.

March 15, 2006
President Edward R. Hundert
Case Western Reserve U.

Mr. Hundert resigns two weeks after a group of faculty members voted no confidence in his leadership. Faculty members, nervous about the university’s $40-million budget deficit, criticized Mr. Hundert over fund-raising and budget projections.

April 17, 2006
President Priscilla D. Slade
Texas Southern U.

The university’s board votes to fire Ms. Slade after an internal audit found that she misspent $647,949 in university money on personal expenses over the last seven years. Ms. Slade, who has contested the audit’s findings, faces a criminal investigation.

May 2, 2006
President Jesus Carreon
Dallas County Community College District

Mr. Carreon resigns after clashing often with faculty members during his three-year tenure. The system’s first Latino president, Mr. Carreon had widespread local support, but faculty members criticized his leadership style.

May 3, 2006
President Scott D. Miller
Wesley College (Del.)

Mr. Miller weathers an evenly split faculty vote on a no-confidence measure. The vote took place after a professor identified plagiarism in writing attributed to Mr. Miller. A subsequent review by an independent panel was undecided on whether Mr. Miller was at fault.

May 4, 2006
President Lloyd W. Benjamin III
Indiana State U.

The university’s Faculty Senate votes no confidence in Mr. Benjamin. Faculty members criticized the “insensitivity” and leadership style of Mr. Benjamin, who received a $25,000 raise in the midst of a university budget cut. Mr. Benjamin donated the raise toward construction of a new student center.

May 15, 2006
President R. Wayne Branch
Clark College

Faculty members overwhelmingly vote no confidence in Mr. Branch, who has been the two-year institution’s president for three years. The measure criticized Mr. Branch’s commitment to shared governance, and a faculty member called his leadership style “autocratic.”

Camping it up! Gally’s youngest protester explains the concepts of situational oppression and institutional denial of participication in the mechanics of decision making to her toy stuffed rabbit!

Our small art exhibition on the wall, with BBC See Hear filming someone in front of it! The art pieces and cartoons come from Gally protesters -  we’ll give a list of pieces displayed and web addresses in a later update.

Started raining so we put the cartoons under shelter.

5.30pm
Latest reports are that it’s going very well… many photos and more updates coming soon!

3.55pm
Now about 20 here. Met the no. target! Took loads of photos (NMc)

3.10pm
Good to see us gather and finally have the London tent city here. It gives us great sense of being linked with other tent cities. Wow! x x x (NMc)

3.05pm
BBC See Hear are there!

3.00pm
Two tents just have set up. Look good! You will get photos shortly x x x x (NMc)

2.45pm
… updates coming soon when possible! Go along if you’re in the area!

No, Aunt Bertha, TentCity UK won’t be this cold.



Getting Jiggy at TentCity UK

RNID decide to hold their AGM at TentCity UK!

The cartoon below shows MM’s views on people who shout JKF is ‘not deaf enough’. Irving Jordan was late deafened, and a late signer. Everyone loved him (until he lost his marbles recently). The Gally protesters include Deaf and deaf and oral deafs and cued speech users and hearing and CI people and everything in between – and all agree – JKF is not the future for Gally. It’s not about what your audiogram looks like, it’s about what’s in your heart.

Bonus MM cartoon about Gally!

IKJ creates a new order of Deaf people

Many thanks MM!