[NTA] FW: Morgan State Faculty and Students Come Out Strong for Ousted President
- From: "Ericsson, Aprille J. (GSFC-5050)" <aprille.j.ericsson@xxxxxxxx>
- To: undisclosed-recipients:;
- Date: Fri, 14 Dec 2012 20:48:56 -0600
From: Nokware Adesegun [mailto:nadesegun@xxxxxxxxx]
Sent: Friday, December 14, 2012 12:01 PM
Subject: Morgan State Faculty and Students Come Out Strong for Ousted President
December 13, 2012 (Chronicle of Higher Education)
Morgan State Faculty and Students Come Out Strong for Ousted President
[http://chronicle.com/img/photos/biz/photo_30477_landscape_large.jpg]
Eric Kelderman
David Wilson, whose contract as president of Morgan State U. will expire next
June, thanked supporters who rallied on his behalf on Thursday.
Enlarge Image<http://chronicle.com/article/Morgan-State-Faculty-and/136301/>
By Eric Kelderman
Baltimore
Supporters of David Wilson massed on the historic quad of Morgan State
University on Thursday, protesting the Board of Regents' vote not to
renew<http://chronicle.com/article/Morgan-State-U-President-Is/136243/> the
president's contract less than three years after he had assumed that position.
The board failed to follow its own bylaws, which require an open meeting for
any final or binding vote on the president's position, said Shaquayah McKenzie,
president of the Student Government Association and a senior studying English
and philosophy.
And without an explanation of the reasons for dismissing Mr. Wilson, students
will not be able to support that decision or the search for his replacement,
she said.
The board voted, 8 to 7, in a closed-door session on December 4, and notified
Mr. Wilson the following day that his contract would expire at the end of June
2013.
Ms. McKenzie's sentiments were echoed by several other speakers on Thursday,
including Gabrielle Lynn McLemore, an assistant professor of biology and
president of the University Council, who also praised Mr. Wilson's commitment
to shared governance and actions to improve the academic culture.
"Faculty have never been more inspired, motivated, and filled with hope for the
future of Morgan State University" than under Mr. Wilson, Ms. McLemore said.
Joanna Crosby, an associate professor of philosophy and religious studies, said
she had not agreed with everything Mr. Wilson did, and she was concerned that
his focus on increasing external research would give more prominence to the
physical sciences at the expense of the humanities. But she praised the
president's emphasis on student success.
The fall of 2011, for example, was the first time in more than a decade at
Morgan State that her classes were full of students on the first day of the
term. In previous years, she said, many students instead were still trying to
figure out their financial aid or trying to get into classes they needed.
Some prominent alumni are also concerned about the board's action. "I am
shocked," said Wilbert L. Walker, a 1950 graduate in economics who has endowed
two scholarships at the university and said he was leaving $500,000 to the
institution in his will.
"We've got to get over this," he said.
In addressing his supporters at Thursday's rally, Mr. Wilson did not directly
mention the board's vote. Instead, he expressed his continuing commitment to
the university. "It is hard for me to imagine loving any entity as much as I
love Morgan State," he said.
Cultural Change
Later, however, sitting in his office on the fourth floor of Truth Hall on the
campus here, he still seemed stunned by the regents' action last week.
"I didn't think there was any issue," Mr. Wilson said. He had received two
positive evaluations that the board had read and approved during his tenure.
On December 5, however, the chairman and vice chairman of the board pulled Mr.
Wilson out of a meeting, he said, to deliver a letter saying the board had
voted narrowly to fire him. The board members declined to give a reason for
their decision, Mr. Wilson said.
What happened to lead up to the board's vote is still largely a matter of
speculation. Several board members did not respond to requests for comment from
The Chronicle, though one regent has openly stated her reasons to support Mr.
Wilson.
In a letter sent to several news outlets, the Rev. Frances Murphy Draper wrote
that Dallas R. Evans, the board chairman, had not previously shared any
concerns about the president. In addition, "no documented facts were presented
to support the nonrenewal of the contract," Ms. Murphy Draper wrote.
Also, recent violence on the campus, including two shootings, "were not a part
of the deliberations" on the president's contract, according to the letter.
Another board member who supports Mr. Wilson, Shirley M. Malcom, said the
majority's specific reasons to dismiss the president were not entirely clear to
her and many others. "You're trying to figure it out, and guess what: So are
we," she said.
The larger reasons may have much to do with the fact that Mr. Wilson followed a
president who served for 27 years, Ms. Malcom said. "Pace of change is one of
the underlying issues, culture change is an underlying issue," she said.
And some dissatisfaction may be due to the same tension that arises from not
having enough money to accomplish the institution's mission, she said: "In many
cases, it is the pressure of trying to do a lot in a resource-constrained
environment."
She fears that this episode may have a lasting negative impact on the
university. "I regret that we have come to this point," Ms. Malcom said. "There
has to be some road to coming together and healing and addressing the needs of
the institution without rancor."
*
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aloofbooks 10 hours
ago<http://chronicle.com/article/Morgan-State-Faculty-and/136301/#comment-735690079>
* A president who seems to be doing an outstanding job raising the
profile of the school, rapidly upgrading institutional academics, exceptional
fundraiser, wildly popular among students, the majority of his faculty and
staff etc... His contract is not renewed?
* WTF? Sounds like some people are afraid to move forward into the 21st
century. Literally!.
* 3 people liked this. Like
*
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mwharton1 33 minutes
ago<http://chronicle.com/article/Morgan-State-Faculty-and/136301/#comment-736123519>
* What a shame! I live in the shadow of Morgan University, in Morgan
Park, and I am a university administrator in Baltimore. I have been very
impressed with the growth and development of the campus over the past few
years. Dr. Wilson seems to have represented something new and inspiring on
campus. You could feel the excitement in the air. I hope this nonrenewal does
not change the community's willingness to engage with Morgan as it continues to
be a greater and very productively engaged member of our community.
*
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- » [NTA] FW: Morgan State Faculty and Students Come Out Strong for Ousted President - Ericsson, Aprille J. (GSFC-5050)
