I agree with you, Nancy--he should have proceeded differently.  

In Virginia, University President's really are empowered by
law with pretty darned close to dictatorial power.  They are
not required by law to consult with much of anyone about the
things they decide to do.  So in law, unfortunately, the
University actually *is* his preserve.

That said, there is a difference between having power and
using it.  In this instance, the way he used his power does
seem likely to have long run consequences.

All best,
Kevin

---- Original message ----
>Date: Thu, 22 Feb 2007 23:21:02 -0500
>From: Sunshine49 <[log in to unmask]>  
>Subject: Re: principled actions  
>To: [log in to unmask]
>
>A more considerate fashion. The university was not his private  
>preserve. He may head it, but it is part of a culture and a  
>community, all of which he ignored. That doesn't sit well with  
>people. As Maya Angelou said, "People will forget what you say;  
>people will forget what you do; but people will never forget
how you  
>made them feel." How did he make the people of the broader
university  
>as well as the local community feel? As if they weren't even
worth a  
>few discussions. A bit of his time. Whatever thoughts and
opinions  
>they may have had didn't matter to him. One might call that  
>insulting. And rude. He could have handled it better, and made  
>friends instead of enemies. It's called "diplomacy."
>
>Nancy
Kevin R. Hardwick, Ph.D.
Department of History
James Madison University

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