2008 Woodie Awards
Faculty members launch anti-institute petition
Sarah Scott, Chief Copy Editor, sescott@smu.edu
Issue date: 4/5/07 Section: News
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A group of SMU faculty members announced the launch of an online petition against the Bush Institute on Wednesday.
According to Perkins School of Theology professor Susanne Johnson, the open letter to SMU President R. Gerald Turner and the Board of Trustees was a collaborative effort between her and about a dozen other professors. In it, they challenge the notion that the Bush complex is an all-or-nothing deal.
"There are a good many of us faculty members who do not buy the all-or-nothing mantra," said Johnson. "It's evident that George Bush wants to come to SMU bad enough that, more likely than not, he's open to negotiation."
But according to SMU officials, the open letter repeats issues already resolved in Faculty Senate meetings.
"The process by which the faculty communicate to the administration is through the Faculty Senate, and that's been the normal means of conveying faculty matters to the administration," said Vice President for External Affairs Brad Cheves.
Johnson points to Stanford as an example of what can happen with a presidential library. There, she said, the Reagan Library was proposed as an all-or-nothing deal with an accompanying museum and institute, but resistance from professors led the administration to drop the mandatory institute.
As of Wednesday night, about 120 faculty members - including incoming Faculty Senate President Dennis Foster and professor emeritus William McElvaney - had signed the petition that Johnson said was designed to stimulate a referendum.
At a Faculty Senate meeting earlier this spring, the idea of a referendum on the inclusion of the institution in the Bush Library Complex was shot down because it was introduced in the Senate. Referendums have to come from constituents, senators have said.
Johnson says the senate may not represent the opinions of the entire faculty since all the senators don't show up to vote for each meeting.
"So to say a given vote reflects the will of the entire Faculty Senate is patently false in the first place," said Johnson.
According to Perkins School of Theology professor Susanne Johnson, the open letter to SMU President R. Gerald Turner and the Board of Trustees was a collaborative effort between her and about a dozen other professors. In it, they challenge the notion that the Bush complex is an all-or-nothing deal.
"There are a good many of us faculty members who do not buy the all-or-nothing mantra," said Johnson. "It's evident that George Bush wants to come to SMU bad enough that, more likely than not, he's open to negotiation."
But according to SMU officials, the open letter repeats issues already resolved in Faculty Senate meetings.
"The process by which the faculty communicate to the administration is through the Faculty Senate, and that's been the normal means of conveying faculty matters to the administration," said Vice President for External Affairs Brad Cheves.
Johnson points to Stanford as an example of what can happen with a presidential library. There, she said, the Reagan Library was proposed as an all-or-nothing deal with an accompanying museum and institute, but resistance from professors led the administration to drop the mandatory institute.
As of Wednesday night, about 120 faculty members - including incoming Faculty Senate President Dennis Foster and professor emeritus William McElvaney - had signed the petition that Johnson said was designed to stimulate a referendum.
At a Faculty Senate meeting earlier this spring, the idea of a referendum on the inclusion of the institution in the Bush Library Complex was shot down because it was introduced in the Senate. Referendums have to come from constituents, senators have said.
Johnson says the senate may not represent the opinions of the entire faculty since all the senators don't show up to vote for each meeting.
"So to say a given vote reflects the will of the entire Faculty Senate is patently false in the first place," said Johnson.
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