A group of faculty members is pushing faculty, students, alumni and staff to sign a petition rebuking the Boston University Board of Trustees Executive Committee’s Friday decision to consider rescinding its offer of the presidency to Daniel S. Goldin.
The petition, which will be released online today, expresses ‘deep concern’ with the Executive Committee’s recommendation that the board go back on its offer and urges the board to ‘honor its commitment’ by installing him Nov. 1, as planned.
‘Faculty concerned about the recommendation of the Executive Committee to rescind President-elect Goldin’s appointment are looking for the fastest and most effective way for the BU community to express its feelings about that recommendation,’ said Modern Foreign Languages Department Associate Director James Iffland, a former chairman of the Faculty Council who is leading the effort.
The petition came together Sunday, after reports in The Boston Globe that the committee of about 20 trustees voted unanimously to call an emergency full board meeting on Friday and gave him ‘a vote of no confidence.’ At the full meeting, a majority of members present could vote to deny Goldin the presidency. The influential group of trustees reportedly made the decision following concerns about the former NASA chief’s desires to sideline Chancellor John Silber, though Silber had agreed this summer to step down to president emeritus this Saturday.
BU spokeswoman Nancy Sterling confirmed Saturday that the board will discuss several resolutions put together at the Executive Committee meeting, though she would not disclose what the resolutions contain. Numerous trustees reached Saturday refused comment, and board Chairman Christopher Barreca did not return calls this weekend.
Goldin is scheduled to take over the presidency the day after the emergency meeting, and the trustees had planned to officially inaugurate him with a ceremony and university holiday Nov. 17. The full board unanimously approved his appointment on July 8.
Iffland said after discussing several other options for conveying their displeasure with the board, the faculty members decided on the petition drive because of the relatively short timeframe before the trustees’ ‘crucial’ meeting Friday. He said it will provide a ‘quick and relatively easy way’ for BU community members express their feelings.
The Faculty Council’s Executive Committee will likely meet early this week before a previously scheduled meeting Wednesday to discuss the matter and decide how to react, according to council Chairman Herbert Voigt. He said the body will likely offer some sort of resolution expressing their displeasure, which would be sent to the provost’s and chancellor’s offices and the Board of Trustees.
Voigt said he was ‘shocked’ and ‘appalled by the turn of events,’ and the resolution would likely send a message that ‘this is not an acceptable way to do business.’ Several faculty members contacted him over the weekend with a range of complaints, he said.
‘They’re concerned about the reputation of the university and concerned about the process,’ Voigt said.
Voigt said he found a number of things disturbing, including that the BU community found out about the situation through the Globe because of a leak.
‘Things that happen in the boardroom should stay in the boardroom,’ Voigt said. ‘It’s just driving me crazy.’
The news comes at an especially bad time for the College of Engineering, where Voigt is a professor, because the college is currently undergoing accreditation, he said. Officials from other universities and the industry have been on campus over the weekend and are scheduled to meet with Silber, Goldin and Provost Dennis Berkey Tuesday, though Voigt said ENG officials no longer know whether it will actually happen.
Voigt said Goldin’s moves to limit Silber’s involvement are probably behind the current controversy although they should not have surprised the trustees. Goldin requested during the search process that Silber not remain on the Board of Trustees and later expressed anger with the board offering Silber a spot on the Executive Committee, according to Globe reports.
‘Goldin has made it clear that he does not want John in the background,’ Voigt said.
Several other faculty members reached Sunday night said they did not want to jump to conclusions with the limited information about the trustees’ motivations.
College of Arts and Sciences history professor John Gagliardo said he was surprised when he heard the news, though he is not shocked that BU officials are in the middle of another problem.
‘It’s just another scandal in which BU is involved,’ he said.
Other professors were frustrated at the lack of information available about why the Executive Committee decided to call the meeting.
‘I feel like I’d like to find out what’s going on,’ said College of Communication professor Michael Berlin. ‘You get no sense of what the underlying motivations are from the Globe.’