Posted on 06/19/2007 9:41:54 AM PDT by Conservative Youth
Press Release
A group of alumni, students and donors to the College of William and Mary today announced an initiative, including a petition, to oppose the renewal of President Gene Nichols contract. Mr. Nichols contract is due to expire June 30, 2008. ShouldNicholBeRenewed.org recommends that the Board of Visitors notify Mr. Nichol by June 30, 2007, that his contract will not be renewed...
As President at William & Mary, Mr. Nichol has alienated many alumni, donors and residents of the Commonwealth of Virginia, particularly during the recent controversy surrounding the Wren Chapel. More than 18,000 alumni and supporters signed a petition asking Mr. Nichol to reverse his policy banning the display of an Anglican cross in the schools historic 275-year-old chapel during exhibition hours. The group won their fight when the Colleges Religion Committee agreed to immediately return the cross to prominent and permanent display in the Wren Chapel on March 6, 2007. However, the Committees recommendations have yet to be implemented.
(Excerpt) Read more at shouldnicholberenewed.org ...
I hope you succeed in getting him booted.
Best of luck to you, but keep in mind the liberal media as well as all of academia will marshal their forces against you.
Few of your professors will support you for the latter reason alone.
PS: That’s how you’ll know you’re right!
Is it? The posted story suggests otherwise: "However, the Committees recommendations have yet to be implemented". If you've seen it yourself, I'll take your word for it.
Good luck to you! I live in Richmond and had a niece that was liberally corrupted and indoctrinated at W & M a few years ago. She’s ok now. get that liberal piece of s$$$ out of there! Is there much student support?
Go Tribe!
Long live the feathers!
I’m an alumnus and also think that Nichol should go. I actually don’t care that much about the Wren Cross, as I think the episode was blown out of proportion. However, there seems to be a recurring pattern of Nichol thinking that he’s the king of the school rather than viewing himself as the steward of a 300+ year old tradition. Good riddance to this egotist.
I signed the petition.
Alumnus, Class of 1977
Sigma Chi, Zeta Upsilon.
I stopped giving during the mid-Sullivan years, but never wrote the College until Nichol became such a bed sore on the reputation of the school.
Fantastic! Go get ‘em!
Richmond ping for a young freeper fighting the fight in Williamsburg.
I am glad to see the people are speaking and standing up for what is right in this country.
Best of luck to you from a James Madison University grad, class of ‘87. Lay the wood to ‘em!
}:-)4
I agree. The loss of the 12 million endowment would have been all it took for me to get rid of the problem.
Good luck. I think you’ll prevail. Nichol’s PR has not been good at all, and he comes off as King Leftist Schmucko in every report I’ve ever seen. A huge ego and a small, leftist brain.
The Trustees surely won’t want him around to continue smearing the traditions of Thomas Jefferson, Phi Beta Kappa, and liberal (in the classic sense) education.
From what I can see, Nichol is the antithesis of W&M values.
I am an alumnus of W&M, and I am appalled at how far the College has declined under Nichol- not only through loss of desperately needed funds, but through loss of reputation and ranking. Nichol has alienated thousands of alumni, students, and taxpayers with his actions. His actions are toxic to W&M’s culture and traditions.
Please sign the petition at www.shouldnicholberenewed.org ...it is open to all.
He seems to forget he’s in Virginia.
Not only did he have the cross removed, he further defiled the place by holding a sex show in the chapel. He figuratively spit in God’s eye.
I don’t support Nichol’s cross decision, but that’s not true. The sex show was sponsored by VOX, a pro-abortion rights student group. I don’t remember where it was. Nichol (probably cognizant of the effect it would have on criticism of his decision) condemned the show and said it had no place on campus.
Also, he didn’t ban the cross from display, he changed the policy to it would only be displayed upon request.
I don’t like Nichol’s decision but I don’t think he should be fired. W&M just wrapped up the largest capital campaign in its history (despite McGlothlin’s $12m revocation) and he is well-liked by a large majority of the student body (something like 60-70%). His primary function is to serve the students and the College, not alumni. And to say WM’s rankings are slipping: the school went from 31st best in the country to 33rd best, behind two private schools. The fall was based only on peer assessment and financial resources, not the quality of WM’s faculty, class sizes, facilities, etc. The fact that a public institution cannot compete with Lehigh University for endowment bucks shouldn’t surprise anyone. William & Mary is a state-funded school and does not have the huge pool of wealthy alums to draw on. Factor in the large budget cuts the school is receiving and it’s no wonder (although the administration has succeeded in knocking those down some). As for peer assessment, WM has about 60% of Virginia-recognized top professors and has beaten out UVa, Virginia Tech, etc. consistently every year in that regard despite having a faculty 1/4 or 1/5 the size of those schools.
While I do disagree with Nichol’s decision, I see the case to fire him as extremely weak. He is a personally charming and charismatic man, and although he made a (very) stupid decision, I don’t think he should be fired. The Board of Visitors should (and probably will) grant him a 2 or 3-year extension on his contract.
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