Deaf School's Leader Ousted Amid Protests

In the end, the incoming president of the nation's only liberal arts university for the deaf was given no choice.

The Gallaudet University board of trustees voted Sunday to revoke Jane Fernandes' contract after a daylong closed-door meeting that followed a month of protests by students and faculty members. She had refused to step down.

In a statement posted on the university's Web site, Fernandes, the former provost who had been selected in May to take office in January, said she had "deep regret" about the board's decision.

"I love Gallaudet University, and I believe I could have made a significant contribution to its future," she said. "I hope that the Gallaudet community can heal the wounds that have been created."

This is the second time in 18 years that protests have forced presidents from office at Gallaudet. In 1988, students rallied on Capitol Hill, demanding the board appoint a "Deaf President Now." Elisabeth Zinser, president at the time, resigned after about a week in the position.

Protesters this time said that Fernandes, 50, was an ineffective leader as provost and that she was not the best person to address a lack of diversity, declining enrollments and low graduation rates.

They said the board ignored surveys by students and faculty members during the presidential search that called her "unacceptable." The faculty voted this month, 82 percent to 18 percent, for Fernandes to resign or be removed.

Fernandes, who has been deaf since birth, had said her resignation would hurt the university, allowing protests to determine the school's leadership. She has said that some people do not consider her "deaf enough" to be president because she didn't learn to use American Sign Language until she was in her 20s and relied on lip-reading through much of her education.

But faced with declining enrollments and scrutiny from the federal government, she said, Gallaudet must reach out to the broader population of deaf and hard-of-hearing students, 81 percent of whom attend mainstream public schools.

The decision to remove Fernandes "feels very good," said student body president Noah Beckman, who helped lead protests. Some students carried cases of beer across campus and shared in celebration with their professors Sunday night.

"Everyone is encouraged to get back to class, get back to work and get back to normal," said LaToya Plummer, one of the protest leaders, adding that she was "shocked" by the board's decision. "I knew this victory would happen. The only question was when."

The board's choice to hire Fernandes in May drew immediate opposition on campus, despite strong support from outgoing President I. King Jordan. At one point, some students on campus set fire to an effigy representing Fernandes.

The board said its decision to reverse course was "a necessity" after protesters, citing Fernandes' divisive style, remained in a standoff with the administration.

"We understand the impact of this decision and the important issues that inherently arise when a board re-examines decisions in the face on an ongoing protest," the board said in a written statement. "It has certainly been a difficult and trying time for our Gallaudet community. Now is the time for healing."

Jordan, who was installed as the school's first deaf president after the 1988 protests, remained steadfast in his support for Fernandes on Sunday.

"Her vision and her plans to make that vision come to life would have guided the university we all love into a bright future," Jordan said in a written statement. "In order to resolve the current stalemate, the board has deemed it necessary to steer a different course, and I accept their decision."

Gallaudet, which receives more than $100 million in funding annually from the federal government, was rated "ineffective" this year by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget. The report cited problems with the school's retention of students and its graduation rate; persistently fewer than 50 percent of undergraduates get their diploma.

Greg Hlibok, the student government leader who helped lead the 1988 protests, said the Gallaudet board forgot, once again, to listen to the university's students, faculty and alumni in its presidential selection.

"For the past few years," he said in an e-mail, "so much power has been entrusted in the president's office, which should have been shared with the Gallaudet community."