dozen's of facalty sign in protest of having bush library

wonder if they still want to be associated with bush?

SMU faculty forum addresses Bush library concerns
Robin Russell Managing Editor United Methodist Reporter

DALLAS -- Southern Methodist University hosted a faculty forum Jan. 9 to clarify its vision for a public policy institute connected to the George W. Bush Presidential Library, now expected to be housed on campus. ... The final decision is not yet official, but the selection committee is now focusing on SMU. ... a faculty member at SMU's Perkins School of Theology had begun circulating a petition that questioned whether the proposed Bush presidential library would promote policies that are out of step with United Methodist principles.

Associate professor Susanne Johnson initiated the petition, saying she feared the library would establish a conservative think tank that would "pursue a partisan agenda" in favor of the Bush administration. ... expressed concern about what she called the "erosion of habeas corpus," "alienation of long-time U.S. allies" and "a pre-emptive war based on false premises" under President Bush. ... it used stronger language, calling President Bush's policies "morally reprehensible." ... opposes having the Bush library on campus because it would "create a tipping point toward conservative scholarship" that would be inconsistent with SMU's academic reputation as a United Methodist institution. ... challenged SMU to remove "Methodist" from its name if the Bush library is housed there, because they believe the Bush administration has participated in military torture. ... "If the United Methodist Church cannot take a stand against the use of torture and those who employ it, including President Bush, what does it stand for?" they asked.

SMU faculty forum addresses Bush library concerns
Robin Russell Managing Editor United Methodist Reporter

DALLAS -- Southern Methodist University hosted a faculty forum Jan. 9 to clarify its vision for a public policy institute connected to the George W. Bush Presidential Library, now expected to be housed on campus.

The forum was not open to the public.

SMU was named sole finalist on Dec. 21 by the library's site selection committee, beating out the University of Dallas and Baylor University in Waco. The final decision is not yet official, but the selection committee is now focusing on SMU.

Days before the announcement, though, a faculty member at SMU's Perkins School of Theology had begun circulating a petition that questioned whether the proposed Bush presidential library would promote policies that are out of step with United Methodist principles.

Associate professor Susanne Johnson initiated the petition, saying she feared the library would establish a conservative think tank that would "pursue a partisan agenda" in favor of the Bush administration.

In a Dec. 16 open letter to SMU President R. Gerald Turner and the board of trustees, Dr. Johnson expressed concern about what she called the "erosion of habeas corpus," "alienation of long-time U.S. allies" and "a pre-emptive war based on false premises" under President Bush.

The petition, signed by some four dozen faculty, was a revised draft. A copy of the earlier version was sent to the Reporter. Co-written by emeritus professor Dr. William McElvaney, it used stronger language, calling President Bush's policies "morally reprehensible."

"We count ourselves among those who would regret to see SMU enshrine attitudes and actions widely deemed as ethically egregious," the original draft stated.

Dr. Johnson said she recast the petition in a more conciliatory tone to appeal to more moderate faculty and staff. Those who signed it, she said, represented a cross-section from every school and department on campus.

But no one can speak for the institution as a whole, said Dr. William Lawrence, dean of Perkins School of Theology. While Perkins encourages its faculty to engage in intellectual and spiritual dialogue, it has a "longstanding policy" that its faculty body does not take a stand on issues that are "external to the school."

"It's much more important for people to have the freedom to engage in their own intellectual questions," Dr. Lawrence said. "It's the right of individual faculty members to do so."

SMU spokesman Brad Cheves said Jan. 3 that the petition had not yet been delivered to the university president's office, but administrators were aware "there are one or two drafts out in the media." Dr. Turner, he added, would not respond to the petition until after he received a copy.

In a phone interview, Dr. Johnson said she opposes having the Bush library on campus because it would "create a tipping point toward conservative scholarship" that would be inconsistent with SMU's academic reputation as a United Methodist institution.

"It's not in keeping with who we want to be at all. And what influence will the institute exert on the rest of campus?"

Several Perkins alumni agree. New York research psychologist Andrew Weaver, a United Methodist minister and a Perkins graduate, and the Rev. Fred Kandeler, a retired United Methodist pastor in New Braunfels, Texas, co-wrote a strongly worded letter to the editor to the Reporter that challenged SMU to remove "Methodist" from its name if the Bush library is housed there, because they believe the Bush administration has participated in military torture.

"If the United Methodist Church cannot take a stand against the use of torture and those who employ it, including President Bush, what does it stand for?" they asked.

Mr. Cheves said such diverse opinions among faculty and alumni reflect the Wesleyan tradition of civil discourse and are encouraged by the university.

"It is absolutely no surprise when you have full-time faculty of over 600 people that you'll have differing opinions on every topic. We're very proud that we're part of a university where my colleagues feel very comfortable to express their views in a multitude of forums," he said.

Faculty, staff, students and alumni have been included in the presidential library process from the beginning, Mr. Cheves added, and SMU president Dr. Turner has already held several open forums with faculty that included discussion about the library.

The faculty senate president also maintains a voting seat on the university's board, he said.

Faculty who oppose having the library on campus because they disagree with President Bush's policies are being short-sighted, said Jim Caswell, SMU's vice president for student affairs and an ordained Elder in the New Mexico Conference.

"The excitement of having a presidential library should be looked at in the long term," Mr. Caswell said. "Twenty years from now, to look back at the politics of a particular time is part of history and the growth of our country. I think it's quite a mark to have a presidential library on our campus, and history will reflect that."

The library selection still needs to make the site official, and SMU still needs to select a design for a complex that is expected to have a $200 million price tag. Bush supporters in Dallas and across Texas have already been recruited as major donors, according to media reports.

Supporters of the Bush library said its public policy institute would not impact SMU's mission of academic freedom because it would report to the independently operated and privately funded Bush Foundation, even though it would be housed on university property.

Presidential libraries, which house millions of documents connected with a presidency, are operated by the National Archives and Records Administration. They serve as public museums as well as research centers, and are often tourist attractions.

Political science professor Cal Jillson, who is a United Methodist, said the library and museum are "fairly noncontroversial," but the proposed policy institute has drawn speculation and criticism because it's less clear what the president intends.

"You've got a library, museum and school of international public affairs where you teach or train students about those subjects. Those are very straightforward things. It's less clear what the president intends for the institute," Dr. Jillson said.

Site finalists had been asked by the library selection committee to include plans for a public policy institute modeled on the Hoover Institution at Stanford or the Carter Center at Emory University. Such institutes often have a more partisan and ideological cast that "fits less comfortably with a university," Dr. Jillson said.

"It doesn't mean it doesn't fit. It just means that the university will have to think about how the academic institution will fit with a more partisan institute," he said. "I think the university will get it right. I think that the Bush Library can't help but be a good thing for SMU, and for Dallas generally."

About eight or nine of the dozen U.S. presidential libraries are affiliated with universities, Dr. Jillson said. They include the George Bush Presidential Library and Museum at Texas A&M University, the Lyndon Baines Johnson Library at the University of Texas and the Jimmy Carter Library at United Methodist-affiliated Emory University.

Skip Rutherford is a United Methodist who is dean of the University of Arkansas Clinton School of Public Service, affiliated with the Clinton Library in Little Rock, Ark. In a phone interview, he said he appreciates the concern at SMU over the proposed Bush library, but counseled faculty to look at the big picture.

"Presidential libraries transcend politics," Mr. Rutherford said, adding the Clinton School attracts students from all walks of life. "It's a very partisan route getting to the presidency, but it's a very nonpartisan route after leaving office. Once you leave the presidency, you enter a world of international public service, and I'm confident President Bush will do the same."

He pointed to the new partnerships between former rivals such as Presidents Jimmy Carter and Gerald Ford, and Presidents George Bush and Bill Clinton.

While presidents continue their work through the foundations, schools and institutes associated with their presidential libraries, it tends to be nonpartisan service projects, Mr. Rutherford said. The Clinton School, for instance, focuses on health issues and relief efforts around the world.

"One of the challenges in any new presidential library is that people still think politically rather than historically," Mr. Rutherford said. "People tend to think today instead of future generations. And that's common. The feelings that are coming from the Perkins staff are no different than what other presidential libraries and schools have experienced in years past.

"My counsel would be to give it a chance. Don't read too much into the present, into the politics. Read a lot into history and into educating young people, into bringing new resources into the campus.

"The real benefit is the benefit to the whole campus: the visibility, the awareness, the visitors who will learn about all aspects of the campus. It's going to raise SMU's prominence to a new level."

SMU history professor Jim Hopkins, chair of the faculty's academic policy committee, said he expected a lively discussion about "the nature and character of this institution." He added that he was on faculty at the University of Texas when it was selected as the site for the LBJ library.

"There was a great deal of concern," Dr. Hopkins recalled, "but history has shown that it's been a remarkable resource for scholars of all disciplines. I would expect the Bush institute to be the same for understanding these eight years of our nation's history.

"I think it will be an invaluable intellectual resource for the university, faculty and students for generations to come. As a historian, the longer perspective is absolutely crucial from which to look at the prospect of getting the library today."