Gu Faculty Wants Glynn Back Assembly Also Assails Trustees For Methods In Firing President

More than 100 Gonzaga University faculty members met Tuesday and condemned the school’s board of trustees for removing the Rev. Edward Glynn as president.

In a resolution to be sent to trustees, the faculty group said it wants the board to reinstate Glynn “for the good of the university.”

Glynn, 61, assumed the president’s job almost a year ago but was forced to resign last week during a trustees meeting on campus.

Board Chairman James Jundt said irreconcilable differences between the board and Glynn forced the decision. He didn’t elaborate.

Four days after that announcement, nearly half of GU’s 260 full-time faculty members gathered in an emergency meeting to express anger over Glynn’s dismissal.

“Many of us feel confused, not really knowing what exactly it was that forced that action,” said GU law professor Jim McCurdie.

He said Glynn had earned strong support on campus for his hard work and commitment to the ideals of Jesuit education.

Tuesday’s meeting was “a rare emergency session” called by members of the GU Faculty Assembly, said that group’s chairman, Ron Large.

After an hourlong discussion, 101 of those attending approved the resolution asking the board to reverse its decision on Glynn. Several faculty members abstained and one voted no, said Large.

The resolution also criticized the board for not consulting other campus groups, including the faculty, before ousting Glynn.

“The board has asserted by its actions that it knows the Jesuit vision better than the Jesuits and the rest of the university,” the resolution states.

Large said the resolution was made public in part because the board’s action has created a negative image for the university.

The resolution also asked the board to change its policies to avoid similar problems, insisting no president be removed unless the board consult the GU Members a nine-member panel of Jesuits who officially own Gonzaga.

Faculty members also asked the board to give them more representation on the board. None of the 29 board members are lay teachers. A number of Jesuits who happen to teach at GU are on the board, Large said.

The board has not yet received a copy of the resolution. One trustee, the Rev. Paul Fitterer of Seattle, said the faculty’s response is understandable.

“Personally, I find this a sad time. It puts people into disagreement and could distract us from the important issues facing the university.”

At Tuesday’s meeting, the faculty group divided into those intent on pushing the board to reinstate Glynn and those who want to focus on changing how the board operates, said GU professor Michael Carey.

By the time a vote on the resolution came, most faculty members agreed with Large and others that the two concerns were connected.

“I’ve concluded that how we deal with the past - this board’s action - affects how the future unfolds,” Large said.

After the meeting, Carey said the board’s method of removing Glynn was “scandalous.”

He said the faculty’s anger is directed only at some of the trustees, not all 29.

“Those are the ones who are interested in their own sense of power, not the good of the university,” Carey said.

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