Gallaudet Board Chief Steps Down
Trustee Cites Stress, 'Aggressive Threats'

By Susan Kinzie
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, May 10, 2006

Celia May Baldwin, the interim head of the Gallaudet University board of trustees, has resigned from the board because of the stress of an emotional presidential search process that has sparked angry protests and "numerous aggressive threats" to her in recent weeks, according to a memo sent to the board secretary.

Yesterday afternoon, Jane K. Fernandes, whose selection as incoming president set off a continuing demonstration at the school for the deaf, said again that she has no plans to resign. And the longtime outgoing president, I. King Jordan, asked people to come together in support of Fernandes.

The search process has been an emotional one from the start because for many the president of Gallaudet symbolizes the leader of the deaf community. On blogs and Web sites across the country, alumni, students and others have exhaustively debated the candidates, analyzed news and traded rumors -- some funny, some venomous.

Baldwin did not respond to messages left on her pager last night and did not provide specifics about threats.

After Baldwin announced to a tense and waiting crowd on the campus last Monday that the board had chosen Fernandes, the provost, to become president in 2007, students began a protest that has continued around the clock by the front gates of the Northeast Washington campus.

Protesters have camped out in tents to send a message to a board that they say has ignored the campus for too long. They complained that the search process unfairly eliminated strong candidates and didn't put enough emphasis on racial and ethnic diversity, and they asked for a stronger leader for the deaf community.

A coalition of faculty, students, staff and alumni has demanded a reopening of the search process and assurances that there will be no reprisals for the vocal opposition.

On Monday night, the faculty voted no confidence in Fernandes and in the board's decision, asked her to resign and urged the board to restart the search without punishments for protesters.

"After many sleepless nights and much reflection these past several days, I regret to tell you that on Sunday night I came to the decision to resign from the Gallaudet Board of Trustees," Baldwin wrote in the memo dated yesterday. "The presidential search and the controversy that has ensued have put enormous strain and stress on me. I simply could not ignore the numerous aggressive threats I have received over the past weeks. I cannot express how disappointed I am that it has to come to this point." She wrote that she has tremendous respect for her colleagues on the board and that she hopes the community feels she served it well.

She was filling the chairmanship left open when longtime board member Glenn Anderson resigned last year. Some of the protesters were angry when Anderson, a black man, did not make it to the final round in the presidential search. All three of the finalists named are white.

Baldwin's role will be filled by trustee Brenda Brueggemann.

"I am deeply saddened by the resignation of acting board chair CM Baldwin," Brueggemann wrote in a statement sent to the campus community last night. "No one should face threats and personal attacks and we respect her personal decision to step down. I am grateful for her tenure on our Board and her commitment to Gallaudet. We remain united in our support and decision of Dr. Fernandes and are committed to moving the University forward."

Last night, a university spokesman said Fernandes and Jordan declined to comment.

"I'm sad to learn of her resignation," senior Anthony Mowl, a member of the coalition that has been protesting, said in an e-mail last night, "because we were really counting on her support this week as we try to educate the rest of the board on our issues. We feel that we really reached her during her visit here, and wish that she could have stayed on to try and fix this. I'm even more disappointed about the threats she's received, because our protest is practicing civility to the fullest. These threats are harming our cause."

Baldwin and trustee Tom Humphries came to campus last week to talk with demonstrators and others before the full board meets tomorrow. Two of those who spoke with her in recent days said she had tears of concern after one meeting.

A forum on campus Friday night turned confrontational as students, staff and others demanded answers; one professor told the two board members the process was rigged.

Yesterday afternoon, in a speech at the National Press Club, Jordan talked about the 1988 Deaf President Now student protests that made him the first deaf university president and helped accelerate such changes as the Americans With Disabilities Act.

He said the current protests are very different and that Fernandes has a bold vision for the future and outstanding credentials, and he invited the protesters to sit down with them to talk about making the school better.

Downstairs, people in "Unity for Gallaudet" T-shirts dismissed that idea. "It's a hollow gesture. . . ." said professor Carol Erting, because the school's leaders have been getting the same messages for a long time but ignoring them.

Fernandes said after Jordan's speech that the no-confidence votes by the faculty Monday night hadn't changed her mind. A poll of professors taken before she was appointed by the board showed little support for her.

It's been difficult, Fernandes said, both for herself and the school, because it has brought up issues people hadn't talked about much. "We can get through this," she said, "because we all believe strongly in Gallaudet. . . . We all need to come together."