In September 2006, a month after completing the move he had pushed for, President William Craig Rice left abruptly for a position with the National Endowment for the Humanities.[1] He was replaced by interim president Ron Champagne.
Ron Champagne
editThomas Lindsay
editThomas Lindsay became president of Shimer College in January 2009.[2] His subsequent tenure was marked by controversy over both his tactics and his long-term plans for the school.[3][4] Controversy first broke out over Lindsay's hiring, outside of the standard process, of a personal acquaintance to replace a professional Director of Admissions whom he had also fired out of process.[5][3] In November 2009, a meeting of the Shimer College Assembly, the internal governing body of the school, produced several resolutions demanding that Lindsay and the Board respect the Shimer College tradition of self-governance.[6]
In January 2010, it was first made public that most of the trustees supporting Lindsay's actions also shared financial ties with Barre Seid, a Chicago industrialist and major donor to the school who had previously been anonymous.[4][7] In February 2010, despite the unanimous objections of the faculty[5], strong opposition from the community as a whole[5][8], and protests by students[9][7], the Seid-dominated Board of Trustees approved a wholesale rewrite by Lindsay of the school's mission statement.[10] Prior to the vote, Lindsay indicated to the faculty that anyone opposing his mission statement would be expected to leave the college.[5][8] The vote passed by a secret ballot vote of 18-16.[5][4]
On April 19, 2010, it was reported that the Shimer College Board of Trustees had voted to remove Lindsay from his post as president.[11][12] The move came shortly after unanimous votes of no confidence by the faculty and Assembly.[12]
Ed Noonan
editNotes
edit- ^ Deanna Isaacs. "So Long, Shimer". Chicago Reader.
- ^ "Inauguration of 13th President of Shimer College". Retrieved 2009-04-10.
- ^ a b "February 2010 Special Issue". Promulgates. Retrieved 2009-04-10.
- ^ a b c Don Troop (2010-02-25). "At a Tiny College, an Epic Battle Over Academic Authority". Chronicle of Higher Education. Retrieved 2010-04-10.
- ^ a b c d e Sam Feldman (2010-03-03). "Big Trouble at Little Shimer". Chicago Weekly. Retrieved 2010-04-10.
- ^ "Resolutions Passed at Nov. 15, 2009 Assembly". Shimer College and the Future. Retrieved 2010-04-10.
- ^ a b Deanna Isaacs (2010-02-25). "Who's Buying Shimer?". Chicago Reader. Retrieved 2010-04-10.
- ^ a b "To The Board of Trustees of Shimer College, from the Faculty of Shimer College". The Gadfly. Retrieved 2010-04-10.
- ^ Linda Goldstein (2010-02-22). "Shimer students protest outside their Board of Trustees meeting". Tech News. Retrieved 2010-04-10.
- ^ Shimer College. "Shimer College Board Announces New Mission Statement Emphasizing Required Study of U.S. Constitution" (PDF). Retrieved 2010-04-10.
- ^ Ashley Thorne (2010-04-19). "Shimer College Votes President Out". Retrieved 2010-04-19.
- ^ a b Ron Grossman (2010-04-19). "Shimer College president fired". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2010-04-19.