Roz Rosen’s Plea To BoT

Brenda and Patricia,

Please ensure that the following letter is delivered to all the members
of the Board of Trustees.

Thank you.

Roz

Open letter to the Gallaudet University Board of Trustees

The time has come for me to step up and be counted among the multitudes
imploring the Board to change its course. I have given 38 years of my
life to Gallaudet University, 5 as a student (BA and MA) and 33 as a
loyal employee. Gallaudet is my life and family, as is true for
multitudes of others. Please count me not as a dejected candidate for
the position but as one who loves and treasures Gallaudet beyond the
self.

The Board surely recognizes and acknowledges the steady deterioration of
Gallaudet University in the eyes of the diverse publics that Gallaudet
serves and the world beyond its campus. Both the Board and Dr. Jordan
have stated that the President does not only run a university in the
conventional sense but also is recognized as having national and
international impact. Gallaudet extends beyond the borders that define
its campus.

From Dr. Jordan’s letter of resignation: “Because of the very public
way in which I became president, I was met immediately with the need to
serve not only as CEO of a major university, but as a national and
international spokesperson for people who are deaf and disabled as well
as a role model for people who are deaf.” This continues to ring
true.

From the Gallaudet University announcement of the opening of the
President position: Gallaudet University is the world’s only
comprehensive, multipurpose institution of higher education for deaf and
hard of hearing individuals… a worldwide audience through a network of
regional centers, international agreements, public service and advocacy
efforts. The job posting delineates qualifications for the President:
“Bring deep roots in deaf culture with knowledge, appreciation and
understanding of deaf/hard of hearing/hearing communities and serve as a
role model for deaf and hard of hearing individuals worldwide.”

Right now the Board is presented with the opportunity to review all the
facts, some of which might not have been known to the Board last May
when it made the decision regarding the 9th President of Gallaudet. 

Right now the Board is presented with the opportunity to change its
course in the light of new, significant information and brutal
unyielding realities.

Dr. Laurel Glass stated: “Change is not a sign of weakness; rather it
signifies wisdom and courage.” The esteemed late Dr. Glass, professor
emeritus of anatomy and psychiatry at the University of California
Medical School, San Francisco, served on the Gallaudet Board for many
years. More notably, she was the only hearing Board member to side with
the three deaf Board members during the 1988 Deaf President Now protest.
During my 7 years tenure as the Chief Academic Officer of the
University, I worked with her as the chair of the Board Academic Affairs
Committee. I came to respect and value Dr. Glass for her insights and
wisdom, e.g. “It takes a big person to admit a mistake. By doing this
and righting the situation, you become even bigger.” I have taken her
advice to heart, and I hope you will too. 

DPN does not mean Deaf President Now. It has always meant Deaf People
Now. DPN represents the epitome of an empowered, engaged community of
very diverse deaf, hard of hearing, and hearing people. DPN has opened
numerous doors of opportunities for the national and global deaf
community. By changing the course now, you can enable new leadership to
to galvanize the community and to ensure that the legacy of DPN
continues to shine positively for all of us.

Right now, to determine what/who is right and what/who is wrong is
beside the point. Right now is the time to stem the rapidly imploding
situation and to chart a new direction. Right now is the time to stop
the negative public relations, emotional and financial hemorrhage caused
by the Gallaudet Board and administration’s refusal to hear. Right
now is the time to right the Gallaudet ship with a different captain, to
enable it to sail forth proudly into a bright future, by reopening the
search process for the 9th President. This ship is not about weathering
perfect storms and catching Moby Dick, but about doing what’s best for
the constituencies served by the Gallaudet ship, present and future,
individually and collectively.

The power and now the opportunity lies in your hands. May you also have
the wisdom and the courage to save the ship now so that healing can
occur for us all.

Dr. Roz Rosen, 62 and 64

www.gallynet.org

reprinted with permission of the listserv moderator

elizabeth gillespie’s e mail contact: mishkazena@aol.com