Hamline University’s faculty president told Chad Hartman on WCCO Radio Wednesday afternoon he doesn’t think the school can survive another five years if President Fayneese Miller doesn’t resign.
Speaking one day after reports that a faculty vote showed overwhelming support for Miller’s resignation, Jim Scheibel, a professor and former St. Paul mayor, told Hartman he thinks donors and students will steer clear after what he’s heard following the scandal involving the school’s handling of an adjunct professor who showed several images of the prophet Muhammad in her art history class. She was not asked to return this semester.
“Academic freedom is just sort of a cornerstone, as well as religious freedom and inclusiveness. We’ve been built on those,” said Scheibel. “We need to demonstrate, to do that healing, and she just isn’t the person that is going to be able to help us heal and move forward.”
Seventy-one of the 96 faculty and staff who voted did so in favor of asking Miller to resign, according to Scheibel.
“You need students to run a university and you need donors. I’ve seen e-mails and letters from donors that say: ‘We’re not giving another penny to Hamline.’”
Scheibel said some of those who support her leaving may be upset about other issues like what he calls Miller’s inability to fundraise or to be fully supportive of faculty–issues that popped up last year.
“There’s much I admire, much I respect about (Miller),” he said. “But I think we’re in such serious condition. I see the division on campus, and I see the division in the community. We have to move forward. I don’t think we can survive without the funding and the support and the students that we need.”