Mishka Zena

Endless Pondering

Oct. 15 letter from BoT to Campus Community

From: “Board of Trustees” <trustees@gallaudet.edu>
To: Trustees@gallaudet.edu
Subject: Statement from the Board of Trustees
Date: Sun, 15 Oct 2006 23:26:26 -0400

October 15, 2006

MEMORANDUM

TO:                 The Campus Community

FROM:            Dr. Brenda Jo Brueggemann, Chair, Board of Trustees

SUBJECT:       Statement from the Board of Trustees

On behalf of the Gallaudet University Board of Trustees, I write to say
that our foremost priority must be to reopen our campus so that
Gallaudet University can move forward with its fundamental mission of
education.

Ninth President

All Board members have received messages from people suggesting that we
could end this apparent impasse by asking Dr. Fernandes to resign.  The
Board will not do that.  Our decision to support Dr. Jane K. Fernandes
as the ninth president of Gallaudet University stands.  We look forward
to her tenure as president beginning January 1, 2007.  The Board has no
plans to re-consider this decision.

We conducted a fair, open and transparent search for a new president
and we selected Dr. Fernandes as the strongest candidate.  The
University needs a sense of continuity from Dr. I. King Jordan’s
presidency to that of Dr. Fernandes and if she were to resign, the
result would be years of uncertainty, permanent instability in the
governance of the institution, and many other long-term and negative
consequences.  The Board has stated, and re-stated, that Dr. Fernandes
is our choice and is the most qualified candidate to run the
institution.

Dr. Fernandes deserves to be given the chance to assume the office we
have appointed her to.  She will not take up her full duties as
Gallaudet University’s president until January 2007, and has thus not
been given the opportunity to show what she can do as president. The
Board will not remove Dr. Fernandes from a position she has not yet
started.

The Deaf President Now movement and Dr. I. King Jordan’s presidency
have been defined with the slogan, “Deaf people can do anything but
hear,” and this message has inspired thousands of people who are deaf
or hard of hearing to do just that.  We cannot send this message to
deaf children and at the same time send a message to Dr. Fernandes and
other deaf adults that we will not give them the same chance to show
what they can do.

We ask that you respond to Dr. Fernandes’ invitations for opening and
continuing dialogue about issues of concern facing our community and we
ask that you contribute your perspectives on how these issues can be
addressed.

The Board will monitor Dr. Fernandes’ performance carefully-as any
university president’s performance should be monitored.

Protest Investigations

In regards to the events in the Hall Memorial Building on Friday,
October 6, 2007, we have retained former Deputy Attorney General Eric
Holder to conduct a full investigation and we have asked him to report
the results to us. We will take any necessary actions, as indicated by
the results of this investigation, promptly on conclusion of his
report.

Presidential Transition Team

The work of the Presidential Transition Team (PTT) will begin soon.  We
are committed to the successful transition of Dr. Fernandes to the
Gallaudet University presidency.  We call upon all members of the
campus community to take responsibility for the future of Gallaudet
University by working with Dr. Fernandes and us to give her the chance
she most definitely deserves to show what she can do.

Thank you for you attention to these important matters and for your
ongoing support for the future of Gallaudet University.

October 16, 2006 - Posted by Mishka Zena | Uncategorized | | 6 Comments

6 Comments »

  1. “if she were to resign, the result would be years of uncertainty, permanent instability in the governance of the institution, and many other long-term and negative
    consequences”

    That is fear tacticts. What will happen if she stays? wouldn’t that bring long-term and negative consequences?
    what of she leaves and provost Moore takes over, would that bring years of uncertainty and permanent instability in the governance? or would it be great?

    Comment by gallygrad | October 16, 2006

  2. Whoa!! Did Dr. Brenda B. just decide to write this letter HERSELF or did all or most of the board members really agree to this today (see where she said “On behalf of the Gally BOT…so it would mean they voted sometime today to do this!!)? Ben Soukop, you were there on the campus all weekend…so did you agree to this, too or were you even aware of this letter?? Hey Brenda, I’d like to see all the names of the board members for whom you said you were speaking on behalf…who actually AGREED to continue their support for Jane’s presidency.

    Comment by NeutralObserver | October 16, 2006

  3. It is clear that IKJ has done a wonderful job of brainwashing the Board.

    I am flabbergasted that these idiots think if Jane leaves, it’ll mean “years of uncertainty, permanent instability … and many other long-term and negative consequences.”

    This has to be the STUPIDEST group of people on the face of the earth!!!!!!!!!!!!

    Comment by Tom Willard | October 16, 2006

  4. There are signs that a narrow click of aggressive Board members keep the others under mental terror. There is no democracy at the Board! Apparently, whoever Board member talks critically about Jane’s performance, or mentions the governmental PART report is risking banishment, ridicule and humiliation. The Board is in stalemate as Tom Humphries openly admitted.

    Comment by testing_the_truth | October 16, 2006

  5. Someone told me Dr. Brenda Bruggemann is non-deaf? Can anyone tell me if it’s true or not?

    Second, I’m told the board never get full information or letters — Gallaudet filtered all letters or information to board members. So they based on what I. King Jordan want to tell them.

    Comment by David | October 16, 2006

  6. B.B. is deaf and her primary communication is oral

    Comment by Mishka Zena | October 16, 2006

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