S.M.U. Faculty Complains About Bush Library
Intimates of President Bush have singled out Southern Methodist University
as the likely site of his presidential library, but faculty members,
complaining of being bypassed, are raising sharp questions about the
school's
identification with his presidency.
In a meeting Tuesday, faculty members complained of a lack of consultation
over the emerging agreement and all but demanded answers from the
university's
president, R. Gerald Turner, on the relation****p that would develop
between
the university and the library.
"There's been a lack of transparency from the beginning," said Tony
Pederson
of the journalism faculty, urging the university's administration "to be
more forthcoming with detailed information."
Cal Jillson, a political science professor, called for "more rounded
information" because, he said, "this train is leaving." He said there
could
be a final decision on the library before the end of the month.
Rhonda Blair, the president of the faculty senate who convened the meeting
even though many professors were still away on winter break, said she
would
pass on the questions to Dr. Turner on Wednesday.
The session grew out of the uproar after an op-ed article in the student
newspaper, The Daily Campus, by two professors at the university's Perkins
School of Theology complaining about the library selection process.
The president and Laura Bush created the George W. Bush Presidential
Library
Site Selection Committee, which is headed by former Commerce Secretary
Donald P. Evans and also includes Marvin Bush, the president's brother;
Andrew H. Card, the former White House chief of staff; and Craig R.
Stapleton, the United States ambassador to France.
Mr. Evans revealed on Dec. 21 that the panel was setting aside two other
contenders, Baylor University in Waco and the University of Dallas in
Irving, to pursue exclusive discussions with Southern Methodist, the alma
mater of Mrs. Bush and an institution long close to the Bushes. Mr. Bush
graduated from Yale and Harvard.
Taylor Griffin, a spokesman for Mr. Evans, said Tuesday that he was not
granting interviews at this stage of the selection process.
"The selection committee is now focusing their discussions on S.M.U.;
however, no final decision has been made," Mr. Griffin said. He said the
final decision was expected to be reached within "a few months," although
others have estimated the process could be completed within weeks.
Mr. Griffin said he could not discuss the criteria for the selection
process, and he said issues concerning financing of the library and
control
of content, including interaction between the policy institute and the
library, had not been decided.
"The committee has been focused on the selection of the site rather than
fund-raising decisions," Mr. Griffin said. "It could vary depending on
what
the site would be. We are in an early phase in the process, and those
decisions about how much money will need to be raised will come later."
The complex under discussion would include a public policy institute
independent of the university and answerable to a Bush foundation, while
the
library and a museum would be under the auspices of the National Archives
and Records Administration. But control of presidential do***ents remains
a
subject of dispute.
About 150 of the university's 600 faculty members attended the meeting,
voicing a range of concerns, particularly on whether the school's academic
freedom and political independence might appear compromised by an
association with not only the Bush library but also a museum that would
accompany it.
Thomas J. Knock, a professor of history, said the public might have
trouble
differentiating between the library, museum and the university.
James K. Hopkins, chairman of the history department who was co-chairman
of
the meeting with Ms. Blair, a professor of theater, said he had asked Dr.
Turner under what cir***stances the university would "walk away" from a
deal
with the library.
"There was this very indirect response to that," Dr. Hopkins said.
Ms. Blair said that it was not clear how much negotiating S.M.U. could do
with the presidential library committee but that she would bring it up
with
Dr. Turner, who she said would soon meet with the faculty himself.
But Rita Kirk, chairwoman of the department of communications and public
affairs, said the "wall" that would exist between Southern Methodist and
the
Bush library would allow for "robust debate" academically and afford
scholars im****tant access to papers of Colin L. Powell and Condoleezza
Rice,
among other administration figures.
Some of the faculty questions dealt with the cost of the library -
published
accounts have it as high as $500 million - including how much the school
would be responsible for and whether raising the money might hurt the
school's
own financial campaigns.
"We view the discussions that are taking place on campus as a very
positive
part of the process and one we're very accustomed to here at S.M.U.," said
Brad Cheves, the university's vice president for development and external
affairs, shortly after leaving the faculty meeting.
"We glad that our colleagues feel comfortable to share their views with
each
other and with all of us," Dr. Cheves said. But he said that S.M.U. had
not
detected widespread opposition among the faculty or others about the Bush
library.
"At this point we have nothing that indicates that the sup****t is anything
but strong," he said. "The feedback we're getting clearly represents the
diversity of thought that you would expect in a constituency as large as
S.M.U.'s."
Gretel Christina Kovach contributed re****ting.
Just like Georgie to leave someone else in the hole.
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