The Rice Thresher (Houston, Tex.), Vol. 56, Ed. 1 Saturday, February 22, 1969 Page: 1 of 4
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In emergency meeting
Faculty requests reconsideration of appointment
By TERRY O'ROURKE
179 voting members of the faculty of
Rice University gathered Friday in the
Chemistry lecture hall for a hastily-
called meeting to consider the Rice
board of Trustees appointment of Dr.
William H. Masterson as President
of the University.
Chairing the meeting in the absence
of the university's chief executive of-
ficer Dean Gordon was Dr. Carey
Croneis, Chancellor of the University.
Croneis said that he had "no authority
as chairman, and no wishes beyond those
of the faculty."
Two members of the Board of Trustees,
Herbert Allen and James Teague, were
present to explain the Board's action
in appointing the president.
Allen emphasized that the most im-
portant single action that the University
Board of Trustees can take is selection
of the president. He cited his particular
commitment as a former student and
described it as a "continuous love affair
with Rice."
Allen said that, on Feb. 14, 6 Trustees
and 8 Governors had "in unanimous and
whole hearted consensus, approved of
the appointment." He said that the
■—Paul Hester
nature of such an appointment dictated
that "the negotiation be conducted in
confidence."
Allen added "I can tell you from the
bottom of my heart we proceded in good
faith."
Allen added "It would be only natural
that a man who was on this campus as
long as he was would have some 'back-
and-forth' with his colleagues."
J. C. De Bremaecker of Geology asked
Brotzen if, of the. 5 names submitted by
the student-faculty committee, Master-
son was one of them. Brotzen replied no.
60 names from faculty
Brotzen said that the faculty-student
committee had requested to meet with
the Board committee charged with presi-
dential selection before Christmas, but
because of Allen's illness this meeting
was not held.
Brotzen further explained that the
advisory committee requested the Rice
faculty to suggest people they would like
to be considered for the presidency. The
faculty submitted 60 names.
Brotzen added that Malcolm Lovett,
Chairman of the Board, had injured his
back during this time, and that this and
other reasons had led the .faculty-student
committee to. "aSsume that the board
was moving very slow."
Brotzen continued that the advisory
committee was under the "opinion that
the Board wasn't doing very much," and
submitted five names of possible can-
didates for president. Brotzen stressed
that the five were "tentative sugges-
tions," and conveyed this to the Board
in a letter received by the Board on Feb.
10a
Chairman Lovett immediately replied
to Brotzen by telephone thanking him
for the suggestions, and said that three
of the five were already under consid-
eration by the Board.
'Prince'
Following the initial exchange, Dean
Richter, Dean of Graduate Studies, said
"I am pleased as I'm sure the rest of
the faculty is in the selection of Bill
Masterson." Richter described Master-
son as a "prince of a student and a great
educator," and then moved that the
meeting of the faculty adjourn. The
hall was filled with boos, and there was
no adjournment.
Mervyn Rudee, Associate Professor
of Materials Science and recently ap-
pointed Wiess master for next year,
asked Allen why one of the Board's
criteria for a president was past asso-
ciation with Rice.
Allen replied that this judgment was
made not to set a precedent, but rather
because "there was no better way to
say that we 'have arrived'—we've final-
ly grown up to the point where we can
name one of our own as president."
Jack Ward of English then arose and
read a statement signed by 61 faculty-
members. At the request of Chancellor
Croneis, Ward read the 61 names.
Croneis said the chair accepted the
names as bona fide voting faculty mem-
bers, and that they had signed their
names to the statement.
Allen then returned to the podium and
said, "I sense the rejection of the board's
procedure but I hope that you will accept
this as an honest mistake, and accept
this man. I ask that you give him (Mas-
terson) what every man deserves—a
chance."
Robert Kahn of Germanics then gain-
ed the floor and said, "I am as outraged
as any member of the faculty, but I
think that the action of the Board not
an act of commission but rather one of
omission." He added that he did not
think it fair to turn down the appoint-
ment, that it was a fait accompli. He
said that a selection process for the
president should be made more clear in
the future.
Kahn then proposed an amendment
to the resolution—that the statement
submitted by Jack Ward be cHvided ir
to two- parts: the first two sentences;
and the third sentence.
James Casteneda of Spanish followed,
suggesting that the faculty should in-
quire into the nature of the screening
of the faculty-student committee in the
submission of the five names to the
board.
'Not clear'
Alan Grob of English followed, say-
ing that he thought it should be clear
that the faculty opposition was to the
procedure, and not to the man. Chan-
cellor Croneis quipped that such a posi-
tion was not abundantly clear.
. Allen arose again, pleading with the
Faculty petition
(This is the text of the statement, bearing:
61 signatures, which Professor Joseph Ward
of English presented at the faculty Hi'eeting-
yesterday afternoon.—Ed.)
The faculty of Rice University
vigorously protests the procedures
-used to select the new president.
Specifically the faculty objects that
the student-faculty committee, which
was requested by the board and duly
elected, was not consulted about the
final appointment. We emphatically
request that this appointment be re-
considered after appropriate con-
sultation with the faculty-student
presidential selection committee.
faculty that they "consider the serious-
jness, of the action they were about to
take. Just consider the University. I
have made my pitch, and I'll sit down."
Croneis added he thought "this could
be an exercise in futility."
Ferdinand Levy of Economics then re-
quested'a secret vote. Croneis responded
that there were no ballots available, and
that as chairman he would overrule the
motion in the interest of time.
Brotzen and William Caudill, both
members of the advisory committee,
ware appointed to count the vote.. Three
separate Votes were taken.
The Kahn amendment to split the re-
solution into two parts passed 401-78.
The adoption of the first two sentences
of the statement submitted by Ward
passed. According to Brotzen and Caudill,
"almost all faculty members" were in
favor, and "about ten" opposed.
The adoption of the third sentence of
Ward's statement, which "emphatically"
requested "that this appointment be re-
considered," also passed, 91-57.
Chancellor Croneis then declared the
meeting adjourned, saying "the feeling
of the faculty is abundantly clear."
From inside the hall a great cheer was
heard from the more than 300 students
who had gathered across the street,
awaiting the conclusion of the meeting.
The faculty filed out to the continuous
cheering and applause of the students.
Richard Sawyer
the
„ nee
thresher
vol. 56, extra houston, texas Saturday, ieb. 22, 1969
Students meet, debate
By DENNIS BAHLER
About 450 students met yesterday af-
ternoon in the Physics Amphitheater to
consider possible modes of action con-
cerning the appointment of William H.
Masterson as president of Rice.
SA president Warren Skaaren read a
statement drafted two hours earlier
which affirmed student and faculty con-
cern about the circumstances surround-
ing the selection.
Bari Kaplan, a student representative
to the joint student faculty advisory
committee, said that the committee had
sent letters all fall, seeking to establish
the real relationship of the student-fac-
ulty group to the Board of Governors.
They failed to establish any kind of
understanding, she said.
She said that Masterson had been to
Houston recently and was offered the
presidency on Feb. 14, without faculty-
student consideration.
She said that Trustee Herbert Allen
said at the time of the announcement
that "we need a firm hand on the tiller
in these troubled times."
Mrs. Kaplan said that two members of
the advisory committee liked Masterson
as a man, but all had expressed varying
degrees of disappointment with the way
he was chosen. She noted also that 12
full professors have hinted at tendering
their resignations if the Board does not
reconsider its decision.
^She told the students that according
to Dr. Zevi Salsburg, professor of Chem-
istry, the faculty appeared then to be
divided into two camps. One faction
wanted no precipitate action unless it is
likely to result in Masterson's resig-
nation; the other believed the situation
to be a matter of principle and thus is
willing to act anyway. Apparently no
concrete plans for such action had as
yet been" formulated.
Advisory committee member Greg-
White said that Dr. Franz Brotzen's com-
mittee had collected 60 names with
dossiers. These were read, discussed
and rated, and five preliminary choices
were sent to the Board. The advisoi-y
committee thought this would "stimulate
some action," though the five prelimi-
nary nominations were by no means fi-
nal.
Meanwhile, the advisory committee
thought the Board committe of nine had
not yet been able to meet. Allen was ilf
before Christmas and Trustee Malcolm
Lovett was recently hospitalized with a
slipped disc. When they finally met a
week and a half ago in Lovett's hospital
room, Masterson's name came up, ac-
cording to Mrs. Kaplan.
A question was raised concei-ning
whether the new or old disruption poli-
cies which were debated this week would
apply to any "action" resulting from the
Masterson controversy.
Dean of Students Paul Pfeiffer replied
that "disruptive tactics are not dissent."
"There is a responsibility to express dis-
sent where there is dissent," he said,
"but don't get yourself dismissed for
having done the right thing in the wrong-
way." In using- the word "dismissed,"
Pfeiffer said he was warning students
not to have their viewpoints discounted
because of irresponsible protest methods',
and was not referring to outright dis-
missal from the university.
-Jim Boddy, president of Hanszen Col-
lege, said "We here have offered a vei--
sion of the University different from the
Board—that of a community."
The Board, he felt, does not see the
University as a community, where people
join together in making decisions.
"I don't see how Masterson can accept
this position in the way in which it was
offered, in view of his concern and com-
mitment to the community that is Rice,"
Boddy said.
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Bahler, Dennis. The Rice Thresher (Houston, Tex.), Vol. 56, Ed. 1 Saturday, February 22, 1969, newspaper, February 22, 1969; Houston, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth245050/m1/1/: accessed July 18, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Rice University Woodson Research Center.