The Wren Cross controversy may be settled for now, but a growing number of William & Mary alumni are convinced that the cross episode is merely a symptom of a larger problem: President Gene Nichol. Seth Freedland at The Daily Press reports on a movement to pressure the Board of Visitors not to renew Nichols’ contract when it expires next summer.
The article quotes Victor K. Biebighauser, a ’75 alumnus and a steady 20-year contributor to the university who pulled the plug on his annual contributions after the cross caper. Though partially molified, he said he would not make up for his missed donation with any more money than usual. Another alumnus, Andrew McRoberts, Class of ’87, said he did not expect to resume contributing anytime soon.
Such dissatisfaction follows on the heels of an announcement by James W. McGlothlin that he would withdraw a $12 million donation. If Nichol can’t regain the confidence of alumni, W&M fund-raising efforts are doomed to falter. And when a university president can’t raise money, like University of Richmond President William Cooper, he won’t last long.
In the age of websites, blogs and e-mail, alumni can mobilize in protest against unpopular university administrators far more readily than in the past. No longer can a university president control the flow of information. As an example: Lance Kyle, class of ’89 and an Arlington resident, has e-mailed a copy of his letter to Rector Michael Powell denouncing Nichol, which I am re-publishing on this blog. (You can read the full text here.) Here’s a choice selection:
What is equally disturbing his how Nichol is demonstrating the same pattern at William & Mary as he did at Colorado and Chapel Hill. While Nichol was dean at Colorado, the law school fell 12 points … in the USN&WR rankings and almost lost its ABA accreditation while at Chapel Hill it fell 8 points. At both schools, the local papers were filled with op-eds by disgruntled alumni, students and taxpayers admonishing Nichol to “focus on building and managing the law school instead of his personal, radical agenda.” The same thing is happening at William & Mary and red flags are everywhere. The stakeholders are complaining while W&M falls further behind its peers in terms of applicant stats (SATs are flat and GPAs are falling) and fundraising growth not to mention the NACUBO endowment ratings. … All of this will translate into lower rankings and devalued diplomas.
Writes Kyle elsewhere: “W&M desperately needed a superstar fundraiser but instead got a failed politician who is saddling the school with meaningless expenses.”
I don’t know how fair these charges are but they are serious — and they are being heard. Clearly Nichol has aroused the alumni, and the antagonism appears to be growing. Let us hope that he doesn’t wind up destroying this eminent institution as a result.