Alumni Council Resignation

By Professor Ruth-Arlene W. Howe

On Tuesday, I sent the following message to my faculty colleagues:

Dear Colleagues

In great sorrow, I signed the attached joint letter of resignation submitted today to Brian Falvey, current president of the Boston College Alumni Association. Following are some personal thoughts which I hope can provide further context.

At a Special Meeting of the Alumni Council, called for 9 AM Saturday, December 1, Brian Falvey moved that the Council recommend to the alumni a new Constitution and By-Laws for the Association. These new

documents effectively abolish the existing Alumni Council, and establish instead an 18-21 member Board selected by Dean Garvey and a large Assembly of alumni leaders. Former Alumni Association president William McCormack facilitated several Q & A sessions. The first session followed presentations by Council members of an Executive Board Subcommittee set up to review and analyze comments and critiques by Council members of the circulated documents (Brian Cardoza, George Field, Chair, Ann Palmieri joined by Dennis Cohen, and Marty Ebel, who both served this past summer on a Task Force convened by the Dean and co-chaired by Brian Falvey and Marianne Lord). The second Q & A followed presentations by various BCLS personnel, faculty alumnus Robert Bloom, a Task Force member, Dean Fillippa Anzalone, Dean Norah Wylie, Marianne Lord, Jeanne French and Nate Kenyon.

What dismayed and distressed me most about this meeting was the absence of full, robust discussion by all gathered. The vote tally for Brian Falvey’s motion was 25 in favor and 23 opposed. I thus found it very troubling that so few of those who voted for the motion spoke at all. The basic question of why was change necessary was never definitely answered. Instead, the one new insight I gained, which explained the feeling of many this fall “that a train had already left the station,” came from comments by Marianne Lord. A new structure needed to be in place that matched what had been described in a request for university funding of a new professional position for which approval has already been obtained. What a pity! By not forthrightly sharing and engaging the Council in seeking university approval, this “cart” of a proposal got put before the “horse” of the existing Alumni Council. At the eleventh hour, with the calendar year near over, concern is great that the university approval might be withdrawn if the submitted restructuring is not in place. But alas, given the assessment by experienced corporate lawyers on the Council that the new documents are “fatally flawed” instruments, one can not help but wonder about the likelihood of finding a truly savvy professional alumni relations person willing to accept the job.

In closing, I would like to state the following:

1. I believe that membership of an alumni association of a professional school should be limited to those who are graduates of the school.
2. It should be an autonomous organization whose mission is to strengthen and support the experience of current students, to help prepare them to serve in whatever setting they may work after graduation and to have a positive impact on both their individual communities and the larger society.
3. Such an independent association should be financially supported by its dues paying members who also make financial donations to the school whenever possible and receive solid support from professional alumni relations staff. There should be a partnership between the independent association and the school administration, marked by cooperative and collaborative interactions to achieve mutual goals.
4. An autonomous independent alumni association should be organized on a representative model, not mirror a corporate model in which the chief executive (i.e., the dean) selects and makes leadership appointments. The members of an independent association should select their own leaders, based upon platforms submitted to advance agreed upon goals and programs. Both the leadership and general membership should reflect and be inclusive of all segments of the alumni body.

Sincerely,
Ruth-Arlene W. Howe

[Editor’s Note: The following comments were made anonymously on Eagleionline’s previous site. They are included here for historical purposes only, and do not necessarily represent the views of Ms. Howe or Eagleionline.]

6 Responses to “Alumni Council Resignation”

1. on 13 Dec 2007 at 4:34 pm 3L

Why is Dean Garvey so afraid of his own alumni, faculty, and students? I understand that he has put pressure on the founders of eagleionline. Now the alumni council will be under his complete control. This is a great case study in how not to lead an institution.

Unfortunately, BC is becoming a second-rate law school under his leadership and we will all suffer as a result. How many of our best professors will leave before Dean Garvey finally moves on? Who knows how many prospective students and professors will continue to look elsewhere because of the direction in which the law school is headed?

At this point, I would probably advise any friend who is applying to law school and not a white Catholic to save himself the trouble and go to BU or somewhere else. Why bother having to suffer through Garvey’s ideological crusade and the administration’s general incompetence.

Alumni and (tenured) faculty, please help! Current students like me have heard too many stories of Dean Garvey threating to ruin careers. We just want to graduate unscathed. The resignations from the alumni council are a good first step. What’s next?

2. on 13 Dec 2007 at 6:33 pm Concerned 2L

There are members of our Alumni Association that aren’t Alumni?

Why does Dean Garvey have such control over this body?

I really wish I could read something written by Dean Garvey or those that supported the restructuring, because everything I’ve read so far has been from those opposed, and based on that, a lot of it doesn’t seem right.

Dean Garvey, your rebuttal please.

3. on 17 Dec 2007 at 4:04 pm Awesome…

Sweet! Does this mean the Third World Journal gets to dissolve as well? Or do we still have to wait until Prof. Howe retires?

4. on 17 Dec 2007 at 5:21 pm Ellen

The Third World Law Journal, which I believe owes its existence in part to Prof. Howe, is a very important part of our school. This is because the journal is committed to social values and stresses that inequality and other inequities are very much a part of our society.

But please don’t confuse these issues. There is a real question here about the Dean’s leadership. Whatever your thoughts are about Prof. Howe or the Third World Law Journal, the fact is that, by my reading, about 20% of the alumni council just resigned.

Even if you took a very self-interested view of the matter, that’s REALLY bad for students. Frankly I don’t care what their political affiliations are; if they are not helping the Dean raising money and find jobs for BC Law students that’s really bad for us.

However bad this is for the majority of people here at BC, it is even worse for minorities. Prof. Howe was a beacon light of hope for many minority students here. Even if you could care less amount minority interests, you have to admit that Prof. Howe played an important part in the lives of many, many BC Law students over the years. (She ought to be commended more for doing so much, In my view). This resignation sends a strong message, as has been said elsewhere, that BC Law is not a place for minority students, or anyone holding minority inte
rests.

If BC Law is to
be a truly great school, it is going to have to solve this problem. I don’t claim to have all the answers, but I know a failure when I see it. When 20% of our Alumni Council resigns, that’s a failure. I’m not casting the blame on Dean Garvey – I look forward, not back. But I think together most people would admit that we have a problem.

5. on 17 Dec 2007 at 7:10 pm  Garvey lover

Nothing you could say
Could tear me away from my Garvey (My Garvey)
Nothing you could do
‘Cause I’m stuck like glue to my Garvey
I’m sticking to my Garvey like a stamp to a letter
Like birds of a feather
We stick together
I’m telling you from the start
I can’t be torn apart from my Garvey

6. on 17 Dec 2007 at 10:57 pm  Ew

Ellen, please leave this website. You’re melodramatic and far too serious for this game.

Prof. Howe is not a good instructor. It is only for her sake, and for the sake of rankings, that the TWLJ is still around. When she leaves, it leaves.